Kenya: Food and Agriculture Organisation boss: Your balcony is a farm in waiting
Carla Mucavi explains how urban dwellers can literally pluck vegetables through the kitchen window.
By Jael Musumba
Standard Media
December 18th 2021
Excerpt:
I am confident that we can also produce these vegetables right in our backyards here in the city and I am happy that the Kenyan government has taken this seriously. During the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, we (FAO) worked in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture to develop guidelines on accessing, handling and storage of various fruits and vegetables. This also included practical examples of producing nutritious vegetables using simple cost-effective technologies such as micro-gardens.
FAO recognises the importance of urban agriculture as a critical component for contributing to short food supply chains, promoting access to nutritious foods, contributing to environmental conservation and creating green urban spaces. We are therefore committed to working with cities such as Nairobi in ensuring the food and nutritional needs of the urban population, especially the urban poor, are met through simple technologies such as micro-gardens
Micro gardens are small production units that can yield a wide range of vegetables, roots and tubers, and herbs in small spaces, such as balconies, patios, rooftops and small open spaces. Micro-gardens can be made from containers such as wooden crates, custom built tables, old car tyres, sacks, plastic containers such as yoghurt cups, water bottles, tins, flowerpots, buckets and even old denim jeans and gumboots.
