Communities in Adjumani enhance their diet through school demonstration gardens.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Acute Malnutrition scale classified Adjumani settlement as a Serious situation (IPC AMN Phase 3) from February to July 2022, with a Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate of 10.5%. High GAM rates often correlate with elevated mortality and morbidity. Key contributors to malnutrition in Adjumani include insufficient food consumption, diseases such as anemia, and poor Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) practices, particularly among refugee communities.
To combat this challenge, LWF, with funding from Bread for the World, launched the Adjumani Rural Livelihood Enhancement Project in April 2024. A core objective is improving the nutrition of 7,000 households, particularly children. As part of this initiative, 10 demonstration gardens were established in schools; 5 primary and 5 secondary to enhance dietary quality and quantity while teaching vegetable gardening skills. These gardens grow diverse vegetables, including onions, tomatoes, eggplants, beetroot, skumawiki, okra, amaranth, and watermelon.
At Meliaderi Primary School, the initiative has greatly impacted the community, as explained by Mr. Dralyuma Lulu Henry, a School Management Committee chairman and parish priest at St. Peter’s Meliaderi Pakele Anglican Church. "I was able to pick some seedlings from the school nursery bed and plant them at my home to support my family and community," he shared. Through his VSLA group and the school garden, Dralyuma cultivated over 300 eggplant seedlings, earning 390,000 UGX (about $106) in sales. He also donates vegetables from his garden back to the school staff every Friday, a gesture he calls his "tithe" for the benefits gained from the project. "I have been growing vegetables for many years, but I have never benefited this much from eggplants like I did this year with the support from LWF," he remarked.
Similarly, Ms. Chandia Faiza, a 40-year-old cleaner from Silili village, Mbwere parish, Dzaipi, recounts how the project transformed her family’s diet. Upon learning about the school’s offer of free vegetable seedlings, she planted 80 onion and 50 eggplant seedlings in her kitchen garden. The produce has fed her family of four for the past two months, with some excess eggplants dried for use during the dry season.
At St. James Secondary School in Dzaipi, the impact extends to both students and staff. Mr. Geriga Michael, a 25-year-old ICT teacher, used eggplant and skumawiki seedlings from the school garden to establish a garden near the staff quarters. The produce fed over 15 staff members, with surplus eggplants sun-dried for later use. Deputy headteacher Mr. Edema Emmanuel highlighted the initiative’s broader benefits: "The students have been harvesting these vegetables and cooking for themselves every weekend. Additionally, the harvest is used at the central cooking point for learners and staff. We plan to expand the garden next year, buy fertilizers for better yields, and set up a nursery bed exclusively for the community."
The project’s success has inspired replication throughout the community, significantly boosting household dietary and micronutrient intake. It also addresses challenges like anemia and inadequate food consumption, reducing GAM rates. Students have also embraced the initiative.
"Growing vegetables has taught me valuable skills I can use at home," said Mary, a 14-year-old pupil at Meliaderi Primary School. "I took seedlings from the school and planted them in my family’s garden. Now we have fresh vegetables every week."
This sustainable approach ensures the knowledge and resources from the project extend beyond the schools to benefit entire communities. The vegetable gardening initiative has not only improved nutrition but also fostered self-reliance, strengthening the resilience of vulnerable households.
