Mama Kitchen Gardens Launch

THE LAUNCHING OF MAMA KITCHEN GARDEN
In a significant move towards strengthening national food security and empowering local communities to improve on nutrition, Her Excellency Mama Rachel Ruto, Kenya's First Lady, yesterday launched the Mama Kitchen Garden Initiative in Agricultural Training College (ATC), Baringo County.
The ambitious project seeks to tackle enhance acquisition of food at household levels particularly in Kenyan rural communities who are vulnerable to hunger, lack of water and face acute malnutrition among young children.
According to the First Lady, her mission in the next five years is to empower women in order to promote sustainable agricultural practices, lower malnutrition levels and create wealth at household levels i.e.
So far, the program has been implemented in 21 counties with focus on women and schools with a few of them who have the capacity and resources already supplementing on their school feeding programme.

“In the eight months pilot phase of this Mama Kitchen Garden, we have started building resilient households, schools and communities since most of them have grown indigenous vegetables such as kale, Amaranth leaves, black night shade, Cowpeas and a variety of fruit trees among others, an important component in not only addressing food security but contribute to tackling on the effects of food security” She explained.
Based on the recent Demographic and Health Survey carried out by Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, 30% of Kenya’s population is food insecure, high number of stunted children aged between six and 59 months some upto 40.1%, in areas like Tiaty while other areas like Baringo South are 28.1%.
H.E Rachel Ruto added that hunger and malnutrition are not merely health issues but rather barriers to learning, obstacle to development and roadblock to prosperity.
In support to this program, the county government of Baringo allocated 400 million to the department of Agriculture, Livestock and the Blue Economy and provided extension services in schools and organized groups dealing with the project.
Partners and stakeholders were urged to prioritize Mama Kitchen Garden by providing funds, technical skills and farm inputs.