Mugumoini Youth Community Garden, Gatunyu

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Kenya

Nairobi

The garden is situated in St. Lwanga Mugumo-ini Catholic Church right behind the church, in Murang’a county. The garden was established by 14 hardworking church youth whose ages range from 17 to 25 years. The church council offered a ¼ acre piece of garden where the youths have been cultivating few varieties of vegetables, namely kale, spinach and bell peppers that they have been crop rotating with potatoes and onions. From these few crop varieties, these youths were able to purchase a printer that they use to print reading pamphlets every Sunday. They sell the pamphlets to Christians, thereby generating some income. They have also been using fertilizers and pesticides. Since they joined the Slow Food 10000 gardens project in Africa and undergoing the training, they learnt how to diversify the garden with as many vegetable varieties as possible, giving priority to indigenous ones. They also learnt and practiced how to use dry leaves to mulch the vegetables to prevent water wastage and to improve soil structure when the leaves decompose. Intercropping food crops with fruits, compost making, introducing integrated pest and diseases management and soil fertility management is what these youths look forward to doing. During gardening days, they harvest some vegetables and eat them. They also sell the produce to Christians every Sunday after service for income generation.

Area
Gatunyu Village, Murang’a county

Coordinators
Faith Kahurura
Isaac Kimani

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:	1000
People involved:	16
Slow Food Convivium:	Gatunyu Convivium
Coordinator:	Samson Kiiru Ngugi
Sibling with:	Eataly, Italy