By Doreen Moraa
In the latest expansion of a national initiative to combat food insecurity at household level, sixty women in Nakuru County have been equipped with skills to establish kitchen gardens and practice agroforestry.
The five-day training, conducted by Joyful Women Organisation in partnership with Toyota Foundation, forms part of the National Mama Kitchen Garden programme launched last year by First Lady Rachel Ruto.
Participants received hands-on training in establishing vertical gardens, managing soil fertility, and applying water-efficient farming techniques suited for small-scale household food production and improved family nutrition within their own homes.
Each woman walked away with a start-up kit containing eight avocado seedlings and vertical garden materials to establish demonstration plots that will serve as learning centres for their respective communities.
Joan Seurei, head of the Voice of Children programme in the Office of the First Lady, said the initiative targets both households and schools to create a comprehensive approach to national food security.
“We realise that they have a critical role in food production and they are also part of the solution we are looking at in providing nutrition and food security for every Kenyan household,” she stated.
The programme, which was launched in Baringo County in May 2024 and later rolled out to Samburu County in October, blends traditional farming knowledge with modern techniques for limited land.
Under the Mama Fruit Garden initiative, ten schools in Nakuru County will each receive fifty avocado seedlings to establish fruit gardens supporting nutrition and environmental conservation efforts across the county.
Seurei said schools play a central role through 4K clubs, noting that learners are being taught simple traditional practices alongside modern techniques using resources available at their immediate disposal daily.
Toyota Kenya Foundation Manager Moses Wanami said the partnership reflects the foundation’s strong commitment to gender empowerment and sustainable community development as part of its broader corporate social responsibility agenda.
“Our goal is to empower women economically and help communities build enterprises that can lift families out of poverty while safeguarding the natural environment for our future generations,” Wanami explained.
The foundation financed the entire training programme and purchased the seedlings as part of its broader agenda to support gender mainstreaming and promote greater environmental sensitivity within local Kenyan communities.
Trainer Helen Tanui of Joyful Empowerment Social Hand said kitchen gardens are particularly suitable for households with limited land and scarce water resources in both urban and rural settings alike.
“They require little space and water, yet provide fresh vegetables that boost nutrition for children and the elderly,” Tanui said while thanking the First Lady for launching the transformative programme.
She said trainers will conduct follow-up visits to ensure participants establish and maintain their gardens properly, expressing confidence that the women will succeed after receiving such a strong solid foundation.
Faith, a beneficiary from Kuresoi North, said the training positioned women at the centre of addressing food insecurity and environmental challenges currently facing their various communities across the region today.
“I will return home as a champion and teach other women how to use the small pieces of land they have to grow food,” she said, expressing confidence that women in her area will prosper.