Cheap and easy to build Kitchen gardens gaining popularity in Nyandarua

Kitchen gardens are one method proven as one of the easiest and fastest ways households can ensure an inexpensive, regular, and handy supply of fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, and spices.

In Nyandarua County, some farmers have already started ripping big from such kitchen gardens and advice others to embrace the technology.

Ndegwa Muriithi is advancing a corn-type garden on his farm within Gathanji village.

The garden is wider at the base using either old tires, bags or other type of materials and narrows as you go up the garden can stay for five to 10 years in place, and all you need to do is keep replacing manure every time you plant.

According to the farmer, this can feed a family of six with vegetables throughout the year.

He says it is cheap and easy to develop and can guarantee households access to a healthy diet that contains adequate macro and micronutrients as many different kinds of foods can be produced.

It is also ideal for people who live in urban areas to have kitchen gardens on their verandas.

To demonstrate different technologies available for establishing a kitchen garden, Muriithi has set up a demonstration and learning site at his farm where local farmers have been visiting to learn.

Nyandarua MCA Carol Wangu echoes the sentiment saying that youths can also embrace farming technologies since they require little effort but the fruits are sweet.

She notes that youths do not have to wait for formal employment, but engage in such activities which also offers an opportunity to learn and invest.

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition has been training farmers to learn,  and implement best practices and innovative solutions to change food systems at local, national, and international scales.

According to Bonnie Musembi, the Organization’s communications manager, the objective is to encourage to embrace good nutrition practices and innovative farming methods to help address food security and good nutrition.

He underscored the need to encourage residents to eat healthy and advised farmers not to sell all their farm produce and end up consuming only one type of food or unhealthy food.