Eden Project

Gardens for Life offers glimmer of hope in east African drought

If you took a plane over the Rift valley in Kenya this autumn, you’d see that another dry year has turned much of the land into desert – but that, now and then, there are still pockets of green amongst the brown. Some of these are school gardens which are continuing to produce food despite the east African drought.

They’re working with Eden’s international Gardens for Life network to establish vegetable plots which provide nutritious food for their pupils, as well as help them learn about sustainability and biodiversity.

At Munyaka School, in the slums of Kenya, a whole field is producing a rich harvest of spinach, kale, carrots and potatoes – and helping reduce school fees.

Students from Gatimu school have set up their own horticulture businesses, thanks to their involvement in the programme, and are now helping other schools start their own gardens.

Through the scheme, British, Kenyan, Indian and Gambian children get the chance to collaborate and learn at first-hand about not only gardening, but food security, biodiversity, and different ways of life. Because anyone can grow something, whether on a windowsill or in a field, everyone is equal and has a story to tell – whether it’s about greenflies in your school garden in London, or an elephant flattening your plot in Kenya.

We also have a global network of schools that share stories, photos and use our lesson plans to collaborate. Schools from the UK, USA, Asia and Africa are encouraged to work together. As the network continues to grow so will they.

Listen to Monty Don’s Radio 4 appeal for Gardens for Life, which aired this week. Or see a slide show of photos about the project on our website.

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Category:

• Horticulture

Tags:

Education, Harvest, Horticulture