Kiti Community Garden

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Kenya

Rift Valley

The garden is situated in Kiti village, few meters from the Nakuru-Nyahururu road, Nakuru County. Mr. Nderitu and his family of five established the garden late 2015 to practice sustainable agriculture and produce food that is good, clean and fair. The 1/8 acre plot of land is right in front of the house cwith quite a number of crops varieties such as broccholi, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, onions, kale, amaranth, spider weed and black nightshade. The garden has some aromatic herbs like lemon grass and rosemary. Avocado is the only fruit tree present, but the family plans to introduce fruits like bananas and strawberries to diversify the garden to make it look beautiful and to increase biodiversity. The family is always keen when it comes to fertilizing the soil. Animal manure bought from farmers rearing animals is used as well as using compost that is usually prepared at home using the manure, kitchen remains and garden waste. Intercropping and crop rotating the garden with crops that improve the soil is yet another technique they use to improve the fertility of the soil. They deal with pests and diseases using methods such as intercropping the garden with crops that repel pests such as onions. Crop rotation also helps to break the pests’ lifecycle, thereby eliminating the pests and diseases that could have continued if the same kind of crop was planted in the same place. Crops are usually rain fed without any supplemental irrigation due to water inadequacy. Over the years, the Nderitu family has involved more and more friends, neighbours and relatives, becoming a very active community garden run by 11 families in 2022.

Area
Kiti Village, Nakuru county

Coordinator
Joy Ruguru

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:	500
Slow Food Convivium:	Nyanza Convivium
Coordinator:	Samson Kiiru Ngugi
Sibling with:	Andrea and Muni Guerra, Italy

Photos