• By Victor Wasike & Aurillia Manjella
• Posted 11/29/2016

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Once were flowerbeds: home-grown school feeding and nutrition education enhances indigenous vegetable consumption in Busia schools

It’s the rainy season again and students at Burumba secondary school in Busia County are busy with soil preparation. They will plant indigenous vegetables using raised beds, a technique they mastered from Alessandra Grasso, a US Borlaug fellow who was seconded to the BFN Project in Busia County and who worked closely with the local partner NGO Sustainable Income Generating Investment (SINGI) that promotes sustainable agriculture and local vegetable cultivation to improve nutrition and enhance livelihoods.

With help from Hellen, a BFN-trained instructor, students formed a BFN group that has turned what used to be flowerbeds into vegetable plots where they grow and promote the use of local nutritious crops to diversify diets. Students thoroughly enjoy getting their hands dirty as part of their classes and when the vegetables are ready they are sent directly to the school kitchen to top up and complement the lunch menu. The approach is known as home-grown school feeding (HGSF), which has the potential to contribute to agriculture as well as nutrition outcomes. The inclusion of local nutritious foods in school meals contributes to the intake of important macro- and micronutrients that are key for child and adolescent development; it promotes dietary diversity and at the same time helps revitalize traditional food culture and preserve local edible biodiversity that is fast disappearing from people’s plates. “Young generations always look down on farming and local vegetables, but not in Burumba”, says Hellen. By turning flowerbeds into vegetable plots, the students are also changing the negative perceptions linked to indigenous vegetables, which are often perceived as “food for the poor”. Increased interest in the nutritional properties of indigenous vegetables means that pupils are able to sell any surplus production to teachers and other school staff and make extra pocket money, learning that agriculture can be a profitable business when markets exist.

In a nearby Primary school, Lorna Wanyama -another BFN-trained instructor- is using the existing 4k-club* to convert flowerbeds into a multi-storey vegetable plot. The school has been very successful in engaging both parents and students in nutrition education activities during which they learn about optimal nutrition, the benefits and uses of local nutritious crops -such as amaranth, slender leaf, cowpea, Ethiopian kale, African nightshade and spider plant- and recipes for their preparation. At harvest time this year, a cooking demonstration was organized involving both parents and students.
Mothers and fathers alike learned about the different food groups, the importance of feeding their children a balanced diet and were coached in the preparation of different dishes using their own school-grown vegetables. Dishes included brown porridge using millet, sweet potato flour and soya flour, mashed sweet potato and beans, local vegetables, fish, and pumpkin, which together contribute to the recommended daily requirements of energy, protein, essential fats and micronutrients such as iron and vitamin A their children need to grow well. “Let’s join forces in providing our kids with a healthy diet to reduce stunting, wasting and malnutrition in the County and save our local crops from extinction” has become Lorna’s new motto.
In another nearby school, Mundika Girls primary school, students have become so keen on farming they have started their own small-scale agribusiness. With an initial investment of Ksh 5 to buy seeds, which they planted in the school compound, they made a profit of 50 Ksh from selling the harvest. With the help of BFN, the girls are now cultivating local vegetables in a larger area including the school greenhouse with the aim of supplying the school kitchen and the staff. The students are also keeping local chicken.

4K clubs, which derive their name from the 4 Ks of ‘Kuungana, Kufanya, Kusaidia Kenya’ (Swahili for ‘Coming together, to Act in order to help Kenya’) have been in existence since 1962. Their main purpose is to provide students with hands-on experience and the necessary agricultural skills to produce and process food, with the aim of enhancing food security and generating income through the sale of surplus produce. 4Ks have proven a very successful way of transferring knowledge back to the communities as well as promote greater acceptance of agriculture among younger generations and the wider community. They also promote business culture and increases confidence for more youths to participate in the sector.