Eastern Produce Kenya, Kitchen Gardens & Food Security

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO (1996), food security is a basic human right. EPK has endeavored to ensure that all of its employees across the 122 villages on their estates, should establish kitchen gardens around their homes, to help them meet their daily requirements.

Kitchen gardens have existed in most African communities for decades and have been readily adopted by employees of EPK. Grete Davey, a consultant on village environmental topics, has been working for EPK to ensure that kitchen gardening, tree planting and environmental issues are given the consideration they deserve.

In an effort to ensure that food is available and accessible, EPK is educating families to take care of and optimize the space available in their kitchen gardens. Field educators have been placed in all estates, their role is to train all groups of people on nutrition. Benefits of the initiative include; decline in nutritional diseases, improved employee productivity, morale and home environment, savings on basic foods and income from sale of surplus food.