Eden Project

Gardens for Life

Gardens for Life is an international network of school gardening projects created by the Eden Project to give children the opportunity to share with each other their knowledge and experience of growing.

Gardening in Kenya

Kenyan students working on vegetable crop in field
Students get stuck into a vegetable plot at Gatimu School in Kenya's Rift valley.

Produce in Kenya

Child in field holding white root vegetable
Rich pickings at Munyaka School. Residents from this school's catchment area get by on less than a dollar a day.
Photo: Didier Ruef

Putting the produce to good use

Vegetables being served from big pots for lunch in Kenyan village
Vegetables from Munyaka's school garden provide a nutritious lunch for pupils.

Improved student retention

Kenyan schoolboy at desk writing exercise book
The free supply of fresh food has reduced fees and helped retain students at Munyaka School.
Photo: Didier Ruef

Learning opportunities in Mumbai

Indian teacher showing plant to school pupils
Gardens for Life gives schools like this one in Mumbai, India, the chance to learn about science too.

Sharing gardening experiences globally

Singaporean school children gardening
The Gardens for Life online network means students as far afield as Singapore and the UK can share personal experiences of gardening.

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. That’s why school gardening is a great basis for international linking.

How Gardens for Life works

We work with partner organisations in Kenya, Gambia, and India to establish and maintain school gardens which meet the needs of the school – that could be through a school meals programme which supplements the school fees, or by using the garden as an educational resource.

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.

How you can help

Your support can help ensure that more schools are able to participate in Gardens for Life. To make a donation please visit our Just Giving page.

If you’re a teacher and would like to learn more, please visit the Gardens for Life website. 

Real life stories from Kenyan schools

Munyaka School

The veg patch started up by this secondary school, situated in the slums of Kenya, is actually a whole field which produces a rich harvest of spinach, kale, carrots, potatoes, as well as the maize and beans used for Githeri, a popular and nourishing local dish. Not only does the garden provide lunch for its students but it also generates a surplus which helps to reduce school fees. As a result, enrolment at the school has increased by more than 50% since the garden was established by Gardens for Life.

Gatimu School

Gardens for Life doesn’t just make a difference to schools; former Gardens for Life students from Gatimu school have set up their own horticulture businesses and are helping other schools start their own gardens. Each of these schools in turn advises local people on how best to grow food, taking the programme’s values and expertise out to the wider community.

Broadcaster and gardener, Monty Don

Gardens for Life can make the difference between poverty and prosperity, between having an education and having none.

Monty Don, gardener and broadcaster

Gardens for Life came in as God-sent… it really improved the school’s lunch programme and the nutrition values of the students.

Stephen Muraya, Munyaka School, Kenya