Kitchen gardens boost nutrition and livelihoods in Kigezi Highlands

KABALE, June 17, 2026 — On a misty morning in Nyamiyanga Village, Kabale district, Kigezi Subregion, Mary Tukamushaba steps outside her home with a small basket in hand. Within a few strides of her kitchen door, she bends over neat rows of cabbage, sukuma wiki and carrots, carefully picking fresh vegetables for the day’s meal. What once required a long walk to distant gardens or market stalls is now available just a few metres from her doorstep — a change she says has transformed both her family’s diet and income.

For generations, families in the cool Kigezi Highlands have relied heavily on beans and sweet potatoes as staple foods. While these crops provided basic sustenance, they often lacked the dietary diversity needed for healthy growth and development, particularly among children. Limited household incomes further restricted access to vegetables and other nutrient-rich foods, contributing to poor nutrition and unbalanced diets.

Today, however, a quiet transformation is taking root across villages in Kabale and Rubanda districts. Through the CommonGround Project, implemented by Integrated Seed and Sector Development Uganda [ISSD], hundreds of households are adopting kitchen gardening and climate-smart agricultural practices that are improving nutrition, strengthening food security, increasing incomes and building resilience to climate change.

The initiative has also supported the formation of Community Vision Committees [CVCs], grassroots leadership structures established to drive agricultural and environmental resilience at community level.

In Nyamiyanga Village, Kaforero Cell, Mwendo Parish in Kitumba Subcounty, Kabale district, residents say the project has significantly improved their livelihoods since its introduction in 2024.

Innocent Kyarisima, Chairperson of the Community Vision Committee [CVC], says kitchen gardens have become a reliable source of both food and income for many households.

Farmers now grow a variety of vegetables, including cabbage, onions, sukuma wiki, eggplants, green pepper and carrots. These not only improve household diets throughout the year but also generate income through the sale of fresh produce and seedlings. Cabbage seedlings, for instance, sell at about Shs 100 each, providing farmers with an additional revenue stream.

“Many families now have access to vegetables throughout the year. Besides improving nutrition, the gardens have become a source of income that helps households meet some of their daily needs,” Kyarisima says.

Among the beneficiaries is Tukamushaba, a farmer from Nyamiyanga Village, who describes the project as life-changing.

She recalls that before kitchen gardens were introduced, most households depended almost entirely on beans and sweet potatoes, with vegetables rarely available.

“At that time, vegetables were not commonly grown near our homes. Many families could not afford to buy them regularly, and some children showed signs of poor nutrition because our meals lacked variety,” she says.

Through training under the CommonGround Project, farmers were introduced to sustainable agricultural practices, including contour ploughing and the establishment of kitchen gardens close to homesteads. The training also emphasised soil conservation, proper crop management and climate-resilient farming techniques.

Today, she says, families have access to fresh vegetables almost daily, significantly improving nutrition and overall health.

“The difference is very visible. Families are eating better, and children are benefiting from more balanced diets because vegetables are now part of daily meals,” she says.

Beyond nutrition, kitchen gardens have become an important source of household income. Proceeds from vegetable sales are helping families save money, pay school fees, purchase household essentials and invest in livestock such as goats, sheep and cattle.

Tukamushaba notes that women, in particular, have gained economic independence through the initiative.

“Many women can now buy essential items for their families without having to depend entirely on their spouses. This has improved household welfare and empowered women economically,” she says.

However, challenges persist, particularly pest infestations affecting crops such as cabbage and the high cost of pesticides, which continue to limit productivity.

Her husband, Gereva Byaruhanga, says kitchen gardens have become a key pillar of household food security.

He explains that vegetables ensure families always have relish to accompany meals, reducing overreliance on traditional staples.

“Previously, meals often consisted only of beans and sweet potatoes. Now we have vegetables throughout the year, and the income we earn has helped us improve our standard of living and even purchase livestock,” he says.

The project’s impact is also evident in neighbouring Rubanda District.

Loydah Tushabe says that before joining the initiative, she cultivated vegetables in gardens located far from her home, making management difficult and exposing crops to theft and damage.

Since establishing a kitchen garden close to her house, she says productivity and care have improved significantly.

“The vegetables provide food for my family, and the surplus is sold to earn income. The money helps us buy household necessities such as soap and other basic requirements,” she says.

Despite these gains, she highlights water shortages and pest infestations as persistent challenges, particularly during prolonged dry spells.

Another beneficiary, Jerica Bamuhata from Kiruruma in Ikamiro, says the project has greatly improved food security and nutrition in her community.

She notes that households are now eating healthier diets due to improved access to vegetables for most of the year.

“Households are feeding better than before because people have learned how to establish and manage kitchen gardens. However, prolonged sunshine and lack of nearby water sources continue to affect production during dry periods,” she says.

According to Rogers Mfitumukiza, Farming Systems Expert for the CommonGround Project, kitchen gardens are among the most effective interventions for improving nutrition and food security in the Kigezi Highlands.

He says they enable households to produce fresh vegetables close to home, increasing access to diverse and healthy diets throughout the year, even for families with limited land.

“Kitchen gardens improve nutrition, reduce dependence on market purchases and provide opportunities for households to earn additional income from surplus production,” he says.

He adds that the project is also promoting sustainable practices such as contour ploughing, composting, mulching, use of organic manure and water harvesting technologies. These approaches help improve soil fertility, conserve moisture and sustain production during periods of drought and erratic rainfall.

As climate change continues to disrupt agricultural production across the region, such practices are becoming increasingly vital for community resilience.

While challenges related to pests, irrigation and water access remain, households in Kabale and Rubanda say kitchen gardens have become essential to improving nutrition, boosting incomes and strengthening resilience.

For many families across the Kigezi Highlands, these small gardens beside homesteads are doing far more than producing vegetables — they are nurturing healthier households, creating new economic opportunities and helping communities build a more resilient future.

Written by Jane Elizabeth Umutangana

https://thecooperator.news/kabale-residents-welcome-new-living-lab-to-tackle-climate-change/

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