The garden is located in Arimi village, Molo District of Nakuru County. The garden involves 28 youth (15 girls and 13 boys). One group member has set a side ½ acre piece of land on the slopes of Molo highlands for group activities. The garden acts as a demonstration plot where members of the community are trained on sustainable agricultural field practices for improved food and nutrition security. The garden also acts a platform for exchange of experiences between like-minded members. The plants grown in the garden include: maize, pigweeds, sorghum, millet, sweet potatoes, black nightshade and cassava. Farmyard manure is used for soil fertilization with plant extracts used for the fight against pest and diseases. Once harvested the products are sold in the local market for income (shared among the group members) and to finance the group’s activities. The group has been supplied with tools and equipment and planting materials. They have been trained on organic soil fertilization, integrated pest and disease management.
Arimi community garden
Back to the archive >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 |
| Surface in m2: | 2024 |
| People involved: | 29 |
| Slow Food Convivium: | Central Rift Convivium |
| Coordinator: | David Kimani Ng’Ang’A |
| Sibling with: | Slow Food Lanciano Convivium, Italy |