Program Rationale

Many rural and peri-urban households face nutritional challenges driven by limited access to diverse foods, rising food prices, climate variability, and constrained production capacity. These pressures often result in poor dietary diversity and increased vulnerability to malnutrition, particularly among children and women.

Kitchen gardens offer a practical, low-cost, and sustainable solution that strengthens both food availability and nutritional outcomes at the household level.

Program Goal

To enhance household food security and nutrition through sustainable kitchen gardening and nutrition-sensitive agricultural practices.

Core Objectives

The program seeks to improve access to nutritious foods, strengthen household resilience to food shocks, promote climate-adaptive production techniques, and empower women as key drivers of household nutrition.

How the Program Works

SCRUDE implements the Kitchen Gardens & Nutrition Program through a structured, community-centered model.

1️⃣ Community Sensitization & Awareness

SCRUDE engages households, women groups, and community stakeholders to raise awareness on the importance of nutrition, dietary diversity, and sustainable household food production.

2️⃣ Household & Beneficiary Targeting

Participants are selected with priority given to women-led households, vulnerable families, and households with limited access to nutritious food sources.

3️⃣ Capacity Building & Practical Training

Beneficiaries receive training on:

Kitchen garden establishment and management
Climate-smart gardening techniques
Crop diversity and seasonality
Soil fertility improvement
Water-efficient practices
Nutrition-sensitive food production

Training emphasizes practical, locally adaptable methods.

4️⃣ Garden Establishment Support

SCRUDE provides technical guidance and limited starter inputs where applicable, enabling households to establish productive kitchen gardens using locally available resources.

5️⃣ Nutrition Education Integration

The program integrates basic nutrition education focusing on:

Balanced diets
Dietary diversity
Household food utilization
Child and maternal nutrition

6️⃣ Sustainability & Continuous Support

SCRUDE supports households through mentorship, follow-up visits, and peer learning approaches to strengthen long-term adoption.

Key Intervention Areas

Household Food Production
Promoting small-scale, space-efficient gardens.

Dietary Diversity Improvement
Encouraging cultivation of diverse crops.

Climate-Smart Practices
Supporting water-efficient and adaptive techniques.

Women’s Empowerment
Strengthening women’s role in nutrition and livelihoods.

Expected Outcomes

The program contributes to:

Improved household food security
Enhanced dietary diversity
Better nutrition outcomes
Reduced household food expenditure
Increased climate resilience
Strengthened household self-reliance

Scalability

The Kitchen Gardens & Nutrition Program is delivered through replicable household packages and community training modules that allow SCRUDE to scale across counties and communities.

SDG Contribution

SDG 2 – Zero Hunger
SDG 3 – Good Health & Well-being
SDG 5 – Gender Equality
SDG 13 – Climate Action