Future fields

Changemaker: Sussana Phiri

Country of Implementation: Zambia

Food is a basic need. It is a key factor in facilitating the growth of young people from stage to stage, however, due to urbanization and busy school schedules, many young people don’t have the opportunity to talk about food, where the food they eat comes from, the importance of nutritious food around them and also lack basic food growing skills. In this vain, Malo Abwino, a youth-led initiative that creates spaces for youth to bloom where they are planted like the plants of the environment took up the challenge to raise awareness among school-going children in Chilanga District. This was to awaken the knowledge in these children on where their food comes from, the power of nutritious food for growth as well as taught them basic food growing skills.

Through fun field workshops, children had the opportunity to discuss the journey that different food takes from the farm up to the time it gets to their tables as a meal. They watched videos of food production at both local and international levels. They participated in quizzes to show their understanding. The children also collectively Managed school gardens and planted an orchard of fruit trees which would benefit other children in the future.

Altogether, over 130 children from two different schools within the district were directly engaged in the workshops and gardening. The schools realized very good harvests from their first gardens and look forward to more harvests as well as more learners participating in managing the gardens and the orchard.