Growing vegetables in sacks to beat hunger and make a shilling

File | Nation
A member of a youth group in the Kibera slums, Nairobi, tends to vegetables grown in sacks. The new technology eliminates the need for land. Inmates at the Shimo-la-Tewa Prison have embraced this method to meet their daily needs as well as for sale.

What you need to know:

  • Inmates and slum dwellers embrace new technology to meet their needs

As land becomes scarce and food prices hit the roof, a new method of growing vegetables is fast gaining popularity in various parts of the country.

Using the simple technology, vegetables are grown on a sack that is filled with soil and manure.

And inmates at Shimo-La-Tewa Prison have mastered this art and are now not only using it to sustain their needs, but also to generate income.

When you walk into the prison, you will be greeted by hundreds of sacks with healthy vegetables, including sukuma wiki, spinach, onions, tomatoes, potatoes and okra.

The technology comes at a time when the cost of vegetables has gone up significantly.

Does not cost much

Barely two months ago in Malindi town, a kilogramme of sukuma wiki cost Sh60, a kilogramme of onions went for Sh100 while a similar measure of tomatoes fetched Sh120.

Fortunately, the invention does not cost much as you just require an empty sack, fertile soil, manure, seeds, water and an open area where the vegetables can get sunlight.

There is no weeding challenge while the technology is environmental friendly.

A single sack with a variety of vegetables can be able to feed a family and enable it save some money to cater for other pressing needs.

According to Shimo-La-Tewa  Prison officer in-charge Margaret Chuma, the institution launched the project dubbed Shimo Youth Initiative Kitchen Garden on June 16, as an income generating activity for inmates.

Ms Chuma said the project is also aimed at meeting the prison’s vegetable needs since prices of the greens have skyrocketed.

On the other hand, she said, the project is a demonstration to both the prisoners and the public that with just a sack you can be able to grow vegetables to meet your family needs or as an income generating activity.

The technology, she says can be used anywhere, including in towns and dry areas, provided one has access to water.

“Land is becoming scarce in the country while the prices of vegetables are rising every day. By using such a simple technology you can be able to earn a living,” Ms Chuma said.

“We want people out there to borrow a leaf so that they can maximise on the little land they have and feed their families,” she advised.

Returns shared among inmates

With the sack project, she said, the prison aims to sustain its vegetable needs while the rest would be sold at Kongowea market in Mombasa and the returns shared among the inmates.

Ms Chuma noted that the over 2,000 inmates at the prison are taught about the project so that they can be able to grow vegetables and earn a living upon completion of their sentences.

Apart from the vegetable project, she added, the prison has also started a flower project.

Aden Simba, a prisoner who is serving a life sentence, said the project is among other activities the prison has launched for them to learn how to generate income.

“We call on people out there to start such income generating activities and avoid crime,” he added. Simba said 21 inmates including those serving life sentences engage in the vegetable project.

He added that some of the vegetables are used for their meals while the rest are sold to prison staff. Simba also says that unlike land you can move your sack when you move house or are transferred.