May 14, 2020 remains one of the most memorable days in the life of Dr Elizabeth Kimani Murage.
During the annual day set to celebrate mothers across the globe, the senior research scientist at the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) established the now thriving kitchen garden in Runda estate, Nairobi.
It was at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, but despite the gloom and doom, Dr Murage says her efforts did not go to waste. The garden is now the source of her joy, more so through the APHRC Zero Hunger Initiative campaign she is spearheading.
The programme promotes agro-ecological urban farming, by supporting women and youth groups in towns to grow healthy safe food to feed themselves and their communities, while making a living.
The kitchen garden has since led to a wider farming project in her neighbourhood. “I started the garden and edible landscaping at the height of the coronavirus, triggered by the desire to promote sustainable healthy food for my family and others in urban areas,” Dr Murage says.
In the garden within her own compound, Dr Murage grows fruits such as pawpaw, avocado, bananas, fig, guava, tree tomatoes, apples, pomegranates, water melon, grapes, strawberries, and other types of berries.
A hass avocado fruiting in Dr Elizabeth Kimani Murage kitchen garden.
Photo credit: Sammy Waweru | Nation Media Group
She also grows vegetables like kale (sukuma wiki), spinach, cabbage, amaranthus (terere), black night shade (managu/sucha) and cowpea leaves (kunde).
Others are lettuce, beetroots, broccoli, tomatoes, capsicum, zucchini, carrots, onions, butternuts, pumpkins, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava and eggplant.
The advocate for healthy eating also grows herbs and spices including lemon grass, coriander, mint, hibiscus, and rosemary.
The success of the kitchen garden saw her convert a neighbouring plot into a hub for a variety of vegetables in November 2022. She leases the parcel.
Dr Murage has been working on nutrition and health issues in Kenya for a long time, particularly among the urban poor in Nairobi.
“I have observed and documented high levels of malnutrition, and my motivation to promote freedom from hunger and the right to adequate, nutritious, healthy, safe and acceptable food stems mainly from learning, research work and experiences,” she says.
The half an acre plot has been subdivided into small sections for various crops. Dr Murage has intercropped with onions as a way of controlling pests, a natural mechanism agriculture experts recommend to curb pests.
However, the integrated pest management approach may not fully control all pests, says Mr Zachary Mwangi, the founder and CEO of Afia Gardens, a company offering agronomic services.
“It is an environmentally friendly and sustainable approach for pest control, whose produce safety is guaranteed,” he says, urging farmers to carefully weigh the pros and cons of intercropping with onions for their specific operations.
Dr Elizabeth Kimani Murage in one of her Runda home gardens
Photo credit: Sammy Waweru | Nation Media Group
Dr Murage’s main source of water being a shallow well, she uses modern technologies such as drip irrigation and paper mulching, especially for growing strawberries.
She also uses organic matter, thus improving the level of the red soil in her farm.
Dr Murage says she chose to grow fruits and vegetables to enhance access to safe foods in her estate.
“Being a socio-commercial initiative, my target market is homes in my neighbourhood and also food vendors, both retailers and wholesalers,” she says, noting that her pricing mirrors that of neighbouring supermarkets.
“I also supply to a few people and groups for free, such as the security people in my estate and charitable activities.”
She said The Zero Hunger Initiative was initiated and funded through the Rockefeller Foundation 2050 Food Systems Vision Prize.
It is also supported through the Healthy Food Africa Project, funded by the European Union.
Dr Murage harvesting amaranthus (terere) on her ‘edible landscaping’ farm in Runda.
Photo credit: Sammy Waweru | Nation Media Group
“Everyone can produce food, for instance in their backyards, balconies and empty space around them. Vertical food production techniques such as cone gardens, pallet, and sack gardens are alternative ways to enhance food production in urban areas. We can all contribute to the actualisation of the right to food for all,” she says.
Mr Mwangi, the CEO of Afia Gardens, says edible landscaping is a smart agricultural innovation to make cities green.
“Numerous benefits accrue with the innovative solutions, including promoting sustainable food production, improving air quality and reducing the urban heat island effect. In addition, the approaches help urban dwellers become more self-sufficient by producing their own food,” Mr Mwangi says.
