Social Development International is teaming up with the department of agriculture at the University of Buea, to establish a seedling nursery in the community of Buea and help 50 families create home vegetable gardens yearly. The project will help provide diversity to the diets of families to improve nutritional status and reduce malnutrition. it will also open up new economic opportunities as they can receive training and sell excess vegetables and vegetable products in nearby cities.
There are few economic opportunities in Buea so many are left with farming as a source of income. Family nutrition is poor and unvaried, and many families lack a balanced diet which will lead to long term health problems. New economic opportunities, nutrition education and awareness are needed in the community of Buea to address food security,nutrition and new farming techniques. Buea soil is fertile and farmers find it easy to plant horticultural crops.
This project will fund 50 family gardens and technical training over 2 years. The community members, especially the women, of Buea are eager to learn about food and nutrition and how to farm efficiently. The community has a plot of land where SDI can set up the nursery and community garden, which will also be used as a training site. Compost and seeds will initially be provided to each family but they will also receive training on making their own compost, managing seedlings and other vegetables
The hope is that this project will enhance the living conditions in Buea by not only improving nutritional status and education, but also augmenting family income. The families will receive training in value-added activities and marketing so that excess vegetables can be processed and sold at the local market in Buea, providing new revenue sources. With this knowledge and training, they can continue to produce vegetables successfully for many years.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
