His passion for vegetable farming is transforming the community
At first sight, the farm at Gardens For Health International’s (GHI) headquarters just outside of Kigali, Rwanda gives you beautiful scenery with different kinds of veggies sprouting to life. The staff and neighboring community have for years now taken pleasure in enjoying fruits and veggies grown at the farm. It's a farm that never stops giving, it also supplies the staff with their regular lunch.
Behind all the activity at the farm are dedicated men and women extremely committed to their work.
One of such man is Alfred Uwamuremye who has religiously committed to the work at the farm for the past 15 years. Alfred, married with two children, is one of the farm technicians at GHI. Having worked with Rwanda’s Ministry of Agriculture before joining GHI, Alfred has a fascinating experience and passion for agricultural activities.
Alfred transplanting Spinach at the farm in Ndera
When Alfred joined GHI, he was only familiar with a few common vegetables like cabbages, carrots, french beans and celery and only knew the traditional way of growing them. At GHI, he learned new sustainable, organic ways of growing crops, and he was also introduced to a wide array of new vegetables like beets and broccoli.
“The moment I started working with GHI, I learnt a lot of things, including how to prepare kitchen gardens, organic fertilizers and pesticides. It’s only until I started working with GHI that I learnt most of the different kinds of vegetables that I know today”
Back home, Alfred has explored creating different types of kitchen gardens including terraces, sac gardening, and using other household items to grow fruits and vegetables.
Just like Alfred, many of the employees at GHI gain vast experience in areas of nutrition, agriculture and health. For him, the gardening experience from GHI has opened up opportunities for him and his family. For instance, in his community, Alfred has inspired and taught different families to make their own vegetable gardens and protect them from pests.
“I am proud of everything I have learnt here. I always have people, including local leaders come home to see what my garden looks like. I also keep getting requests from the community to help them construct their kitchen gardens”.
Alfred’s neighbors are all now happy owners of veggie gardens because he generously passes on the skills and vegetable seedlings he gets from GHI to his community.
Alfred demonstrating to participants of a Training of Trainers on regenerative farming methods at the GHI farm at Ndera.
One of Alfred’s favorite moments is when a mother who initially had to buy vegetables from the market can now just take a stroll into her vegetable garden and get enough for her family’s meal.
He has helped a number of families, especially in the Masaka Sector in Gasabo District, to grow and learn to take care of their own gardens. Alfred has also won different awards at sector level, including a water tank, for his support towards improving lives. He is thankful for the experience he got from his work and is happy about the impact it has had on him so far. He is confident that it’s a life-time experience. Alfred’s experience is indeed a source of pride for him and his family.
Alfred has a vision. In the future, he wants to teach students so that they all learn to prepare kitchen gardens on their own.
“I am happy about my work of teaching the community, especially mothers to prepare kitchen gardens. I am sure that if children learn to do the same, their experience will last even longer.”
Working with GHI is like having a second home for Alfred. With the team, he has learnt life lessons. In his own words, for anyone to be successful, the entire team has to succeed first. For him, the team always comes first.
The Gardens For Health team is well equipped with a team of four farm technicians including Alfred. With their all-round support and expertise, we are able to keep the farm in a well-kempt shape. Besides supplementing daily meals for staff, the farm is also currently a demonstration for other agriculture and nutrition stakeholders to learn how to improve their farming techniques, providing a platform for combined efforts against malnutrition in the country.