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  • About us
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Home » 10.000 Orti in Africa » Gilgil Township Community Garden

Gilgil Township Community Garden

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Kenya

Rift Valley

This community garden is found in Gilgil, about three km away from the town’s central district, in Nakuru county. The Gilgil Township Primary School donated the land and the garden has become an important learning center for both the community and the students. The group that manages the garden is made of 25 members (seven men and eighteen women) who participate in the local adult education program which helps improve reading and writing abilities. Several different products are cultivated in the garden, including cabbage, kale, nightshade, amaranth, yams, potatoes, cassava, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and African cabbage (gynandropsis gynandra). The soil is fertilized with manure that the members bring from home. Furthermore, they have begun to prepare natural pesticides using marigolds, nettles, onions and pepper to fight off pests that are a huge problem to overcome for the gardening activities. The harvest is divided among the community members and a part is sold on the local market; the revenues are used to finance some of the group’s activities.

Area
Gilgil Township, Gilgil sub-county, Nakuru county

Coordinator
Peris Kamau

Slow Food in Kenya

Kenya, the richest and most dynamic East African country, whose capital Nairobi is home to a series of major international institutions (the UN, FAO, World Bank and others), has for years embodied great contradictions and is constantly grappling with difficult challenges. These include the internal movement of people due to climate change—the extended droughts experienced over the last 30 years are becoming increasingly frequent and intense—and political instability, as well as constant pressure from multinationals on the government, pushing Kenya to focus on production for export. This is resulting in the pollution and depletion of resources, arable land speculation and the privatization and financialization of public services. In 2016 the National Assembly Committee of Agriculture confirmed a ban on GMO cultivation, but experiments continue. The main investments in the national agriculture sector, which engages around 75% of the population, are focused on specific categories (maize and grains, intensive livestock farming) and revolve around increased productivity rather than differentiated production, better environmental sustainability or the improved distribution of community goods. Slow Food has been active in Kenya since 2004 and now has a strong network working to defend local biodiversity, promote sustainable food production and responsible consumption and create links between indigenous groups, herders and farmers and producers and cooks. The association is formally registered and recognized by the government and partners with local and international organizations, public authorities, institutions and the media. Young people are involved in the Gardens in Africa project and the fight against food waste, promoting sustainable agriculture, raising awareness about threats to food sovereignty, encouraging peaceful coexistence between communities through knowledge exchanges and fostering pride in Kenyan culinary traditions. The important task of mapping foods at risk of extinction has been going on over the last few years, leading to a book on Ark products in Kenya and the launch of several Presidia, thanks to the involvement of an extensive network and collaboration with the University of Gastronomic Students. Through the Slow Food scholarship program, so far more than 10 students from the country have been able to study at the university in Italy. The Chefs’ Alliance was launched in 2016 and the Slow Travel responsible tourism initiative has started to raise awareness among consumers and visitors on local foods and initiatives and sustainable development. Blog: slowfoodkenya.wordpress.com

Garden Informations

Type:Community Garden
People involved:25
Slow Food Convivium:Milangine Convivium
Coordinator:Peris Njeri
Sibling with:Vienna Foodie Quest, Austria

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