Heath is Wealth and therefore, SFR’s objective is that every household beneficiary as recommendable should at least consume different vegetable types twice a day making vegetables a standard part of the meal and the healthiest better option. Our beneficiary groups include children and women who mostly require close feeding and care. This is why it is very important to consume and use vegetables like Amaranthus (Dodo), Spinach, carrots, cabbages, egg-plants, and Onions, to mention which are more essential sources of vitamins and other nutrients in the human body. SFR has been doing this for decades now and several families have adopted to the initiative and also shared the knowledge and skills to their neighborhoods.
Setting Up a new Kitchen garden
Setting Up a new Kitchen garden
Due to small pieces of land, our beneficiaries don’t have enough portions of land to grow crops and vegetables on a large scale therefore in order to utilize the small pieces of land effectively, therefore we adopted the kitchen garden model that necessitates construction using small pieces of wood/small tree branches and sacks.
The harvest is reserved for family use and any surplus can be directed to the local supermarkets and contributes to the family’s income. Good pests and disease control practices such as mulching, weeding, morning and evening watering during the dry seasons and preventive care are required to keep the kitchen garden productive and sustainable.
Putting forth the initiative of providing these vulnerable groups with kitchen gardens is saving lives through improved health statuses, without any doubt reducing malnutrition and improving on food scarcity within communities, and also educating poor rural communities on good agricultural practices and dietary diversity.
Weeding and harvesting of a kitchen garden by the beneficiaries
Weeding and harvesting of a kitchen garden by the beneficiaries
SFR has continuously worked hard in mitigating malnutrition among beneficiaries whereby the beneficiaries are also trained the on proper use and maintenance of the kitchen gardens.
This year 2022, SFR provided over 1000 sacks for setting up more kitchen gardens for the beneficiaries to end not only malnutrition but also solve food shortage issues at the household level and as the year ends; we have over 650 constructed kitchen gardens in Nyamasheke District, 539 in Rusizi District and 59 in Huye District making a total of over 1,248 kitchen gardens. Additionally we also have 2 Model kitchen gardens at SFR’s head office in Kigali city and at the western and southern province regional offices in Nyamasheke and Huye district.
In collaboration with all its partners, SFR intends to increase the production of vegetables and also educate its beneficiaries on healthy and sustainable agricultural practices and nutrition knowledge.
Model Kitchen Gardens
Fumigation of Kitchen Garden
