Kitchen Gardens

Small Kitchen Gardens

Wisconsin volunteers, working with the W/NP Agriculture/Natural Resources Committee, first introduced the square meter gardening concept as they "trained the trainers." The trainees in the project were health promoters and brigidistas who assisted community members in garden locations, composting, species selection, crop maintenance, and pest control.

Although the Kitchen Gardens project originally began as part of Farmer to Farmer activities, it has now been integrated into the Learning Centers network, providing vital training in vegetable production, composting, and marketing. The project targets poor, rural families and sets for itself the goal of providing them with a variety and a quantity of food, thus diversifying their family diet. Families are also enabled to buy and sell fresh vegetables.

Kitchen gardens require a minimum of time, water, and tools, making them ideal for families with limited resources. Since the families own and maintain their own gardens, they are personally rewarded with their successes.

Farmer to Farmer volunteers are again teaching about kitchen gardens as part of special funding source.  To date Susan Mahr UWEX Master Gardener Coordinator and Horticulturist and Chrissy Register UWEX Horticulture Agent have been involved in gardening along with Kshinte Brathwaite UW-Nutrition Education Specialist in teaching why it is helps the body by eating good vegetables.