Growing Big with Small Spaces: Empowering Women through Urban Farming in Nairobi

• Communications Team
• February 5, 2025
• JJF News
• 0 Comments

How the Jonathan Jackson Foundation’s Jenga Bizna Mtaani is Transforming Lives, One Sack Garden at a Time

In the heart of Nairobi’s informal settlements, a quiet revolution is unfolding: urban farming is reshaping how communities grow and consume food. The Jonathan Jackson Foundation (JJF), in partnership with Solovino Kenya, is working through our Jenga Bizna Mtaani program to equip women from the Far East Basketball Association (FEBA) with the skills, resources, and support they need to cultivate thriving gardens in even the smallest urban spaces.

A Partnership for Empowerment and Growth

The innovative urban farming techniques taught through Jenga Bizna Mtaani focus on tower gardens and multi-story gardens—vertical, space-saving systems that allow participants to grow high-yield crops like tomatoes, kale, spinach, and herbs. Despite limited access to land, the FEBA women have quickly mastered these methods, ensuring that corners, rooftops, and even compact courtyards become vibrant vegetable gardens.

By combining sports mentorship with sustainable agriculture, the FEBA women gain skills to bolster nutrition in their families and communities while empowering themselves economically strengthening the holistic development goals at the core of JJF’s mission.

Impact Indicator (SDG 2.3):

• Increased productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers.
• We measure the volume of fresh produce harvested, the rise in local market sales, and improvements in household nutrition.

From Sacks to Success: The Power of Sack Gardening

A hallmark of this urban farming initiative is sack gardening, a cost-effective approach that uses sacks filled with soil and compost to grow vegetables virtually anywhere. This technique has rapidly gained popularity among FEBA women because it:

1. Maximizes Limited Space: Courtyards, balconies, and rooftops become productive micro-farms.
2. Enhances Food Security: Families enjoy fresh produce at reduced costs, improving dietary diversity.
3. Encourages Innovation: The women adapt sack gardening methods to fit their unique environments.

Through in-depth training and ongoing mentorship, participants learn how to manage sack gardens efficiently, transforming each sack into a bountiful harvest. This, in turn, fosters creativity, resilience, and self-reliance.

Impact Indicator (SDG 2.1):

• Proportion of population with access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food all year round.
• We track the frequency of harvests and the dietary improvements in participants’ households.

Boosting Income and Creating Employment Opportunities

Beyond enhancing food security, urban farming presents a tangible economic advantage. The vegetables grown by the FEBA women find ready markets, generating additional income that helps support their families. Their new ventures offer not only financial stability but also employment opportunities for other community members, sparking a ripple effect of empowerment and prosperity.

As part of Jenga Bizna Mtaani, the women receive training in entrepreneurship, marketing, and sustainable agriculture, enabling them to expand beyond subsistence farming. By transforming urban farming into a viable business, participants are contributing to broader community development and forging pathways out of poverty.

Impact Indicator (SDG 8.3):

• Promotion of development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, and entrepreneurship.
• We measure the number of new enterprises launched and the average monthly revenue generated.

A Movement of Hope and Resilience

What began as a simple introduction to vertical and sack gardening has blossomed into a movement that transcends agriculture. It embodies women’s empowerment, community resilience, and sustainable development, aligning with SDG 5 (Gender Equality) by providing women with valuable skills and leadership roles in local commerce.

The FEBA women’s journey showcases the transformative power of collaboration, determination, and innovation. Through Jenga Bizna Mtaani, they are not only growing vegetables but also sowing seeds of hope, leadership, and possibility across their communities.

Support Our Work and Grow the Impact

Join us in celebrating the resilience and ambition of these women who are revolutionizing urban farming and uplifting their communities. Your support of the Jonathan Jackson Foundation can help expand Jenga Bizna Mtaani to more neighborhoods, ensuring that countless others—youth, women, and persons living with disabilities—gain access to sustainable livelihoods.

Call to Action:

• Donate: Contribute to JJF’s programs to reach more families in need.
• Partner with Us: Share your expertise or resources to help scale our initiatives.
• Spread the Word: Follow our journey on social media and invite others to learn about how small spaces can yield big dreams.

Together, we can build stronger communities, one sack garden—and one empowered woman—at a time.

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