The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), through the Market Oriented Agriculture Programme (MOAP), has launched an urban gardening project to boost vegetable production in the country.

The project dubbed “My Garden, My Health, My Wealth” is financed by the German Development Cooperation through MOAP in Accra by two non-governmental organizations, Hipsters of Nature and the Mothers Club in Development.

The project is expected to build the capacity of 150 households, 4 mosques and 2 churches, and set up multi-story gardens (MSGs) for vegetable production.

The MSG approach is aimed at facilitating the proliferation of vertical gardening in the selected localities to supplement the food basket for the year-round micro nutrient provision.

Moreover, it will ensure the efficient use of limited spaces available in these communities for food production and improve nutritional value of beneficiary communities.

Speaking at the launch, President of Hipsters of Nature, Divine Agborli, indicated that it is their priority to make every community benefit from the agenda regardless of the availability of their land size.

“We would want all communities to benefit from the concept of urban gardening, not every household or community is privileged to have a wide or large land space. So the project intends to bring everybody on board the urban gardening agenda where by no matter the limited space you have, you can still grow something which would improve upon your nutritional value,” he said.

He added that the idea is to sell the project idea to the whole country and beyond.

Divine Agborli believes “that eating what you have grown comes with many health benefits, aside from that, one gains a sense of pride from eating the first passion fruit or lettuce that grows from your garden.”

Paa Kweku Eshun Talksafrica.com