Two types of Nutrition Garden

Real Impact has two templates for Nutrition Gardens.

Institutional

Located in a school, clinic, or other community, an Institutional Nutrition Garden consists of a field, starting from about 30 x 50m, a propagation/wormery unit, water tank, drip lines, seeds and training in how to grow and cook a succession of nutritious vegetables

Domestic

Intended for a single extended family, a Domestic Nutrition Garden consists of six cultivation-sacks, a worm bin, fertilizer, seeds and training in how to cultivate and prepare food from a succession of crops.

 

kitchen

Many of the nutrition courses make use of the on-site institutional canteen that prepares daily meals from Nutrition Garden produce.

Training courses

Nutrition Gardening is different from ‘kitchen gardening’ because the planting programme is aimed at producing per meter square of garden, as much of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of the main nutrients needed in a balanced diet. The area of each type of crop grown has to reflect the balance of vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrate and fibre recommended in a healthy balanced diet.

The nutritional harvest also has to be grown taking account of Good Agricultural Practice, using good rotation of crops (legumes, leafy and root crops). The choice of which crop to grow also has to take into account the predicted yields per metwe square from different types of crop – a high yielding, easy to grow crop may be preferred even if it has slightly less vitamins per unit weight.

Our courses are unique because they link Nutrition and Gardening. Nutrition Gardening is best learned from practical experience and the opportunity to benefit from working in a Real Nutrition Garden linked to a Nutrition Kitchen.

At Kichozi Farm in Thika, a one-hectare Nutrition Garden is the ideal site to gain practical experience in all aspects of organic farming, from compost production through to planting, growing, harvesting and storage of produce.

Our courses are designed to train people in all aspects of managing and operating Nutrition Gardens, and in the practical use or produce in realistic local situations with nutrition and cooking courses that use the conventions and tools that are locally available.

Real Impact has a unique training offer which links two important subjects  - agronomy and applied nutrition. Under each subject we are offering a number of courses at various levels relevant to different audiences (for example - managers and field workers). Each  subject consists of a range of courses, which help to build the trainees practical skills and underpinning knowledge to an appropriate level. The courses are complementary and designed to build a link between what is grown and what is eaten both by people in institutions (schools, hospitals and village communities) and also at the domestic household level.

In addition we run an administration course for people who are monitoring the input costs and output benefits of Institutional Nutrition Gardens (NGs) and Community Networks of Domestic NGs which develop as a roll-out from the larger Institutional NG. We also run Training of Trainers courses to empower extension officers.

Course format

All our agronomy courses rotate through five technical departments so that trainees gain experience in every aspect of crop production.
Propagation

  • Compost and soil health
  • Crop agronomy
  • Crop protection
  • Harvest and post harvest

All courses are examined (multiple choice paper, viva, identification tests and practical assessments) 70% pass mark.

Course booklet

You can download a copy of the course details here.

How to book

Please see our course calendar. Then please telephone to check availability of places. Then please send all details on our booking form and send it to us with a cheque.

 

Agronomy coursesNutrition coursesAdministration courses

Real Impact links its nutrition courses with a commercial canteen at Kichozi Farm, able to cater for more than 100 people. The design of the 14-day rotating menu is closely combined with the 14-day planting programme in the Nutrition Garden on the Kichozi Farm estate. This provides a unique learning opportunity and the interaction between the farm staff and the canteen provides a realistic dynamism not often part of conventional catering courses.

Our links with other Institutional Kitchens in schools, orphanages, hospitals and prisons and our work with women’s groups (young and old) as well as youth groups, provide further opportunities to design nutritionally balanced menus for many different client groups.

 

Applied Nutrition for Institutional Cooks and Chefs

This five-day course aims to Increase the nutrition knowledge of those responsible for providing food to large numbers of beneficiaries. Trainees will already have considerable experience in large-scale catering for institutions such as farm canteens, schools, hospitals, prisons and orphanages. On completion of this course the Trainee will be able to:

• Understand the basic principles of nutrition.

• Recognise the health benefits of following the client-specific Nutrition Garden menus • Provide effective communication to the Nutrition Garden to ensure timely and adequate supply of fresh vegetables, through ordering systems linked directly to Nutrition Garden planting programmes.

• Implement methods of receiving and storing of fresh produce to retain nutritional benefit and ensure compliance with statutory hygiene requirements • Apply nutritionally sound methods of cookery to optimise the nutritional value of the food being prepared for the beneficiaries • Understand the nutritional requirements for those in the community suffering from specific health issue such as HIV/AIDS, diabetes, lactating/ pregnant mothers, weaning babies, mal-nutrition, high blood pressure, obesity.

• Implement client-specific menus designed by a qualified Applied Nutritionist for the above beneficiaries The course will focus on the Real Impact model School Feeding Programme menu and associated planting programme, for the practical cooking component. Skills learnt can be readily adapted to a much more varied Kitchen Garden menu

Course fees

KSH 20,000 per person for a five-day practical course.

Max 10 trainees per course.

 

Applied Nutrition for Community Health Workers

This five day course aims to support government Health Management Teams to implement the Community Strategy more effectively by providing capacity building to Community Health Workers (CHW) in Nutrition Gardening and Family Nutrition Cooking.

It aims to empower Community Health Workers who are linked to Rural Health Facilities (RHF) to design, implement and manage a pilot Nutrition Garden at the RHF and use this for training their family networks to do the same at home. For those RHFs where a Nutrition Kitchen is also constructed, it will allow the CHWs to teach nutritionally sound cooking methods and promote the use of Nutrition Garden vegetables routinely in domestic menus. Real Impact sells Nutrition Garden Kits as well as Rural Nutrition Kitchen Kits.

This course is also suitable for Extension Officers from NGOs, donor-funded programmes, community projects and faith-based organisations working to improve food security and nutrition in vulnerable groups.

On completion of this course the Trainee will be able to:

• Understand the basic growing methods for the 10 Nutrition Garden crops

• Identify pests and diseases in the Nutrition Garden and take appropriate action

• Use Real Impact ‘Nutrition Garden Field Training Kit’ in their extension work with their family networks. • Understand the basic principles of nutrition.

• Recognise the health benefits of following the client-specific Nutrition Garden menus • Provide advice to families on how to best use the vegetables grown in their domestic nutrition gardens, using energy-efficient cooking and storing methods to retain the most nutrients.

• Ensure beneficiaries are aware of the importance of hygiene in food preparation and storage.

• Understand the nutritional requirements for those in the community suffering from specific health issue such as HIV/AIDS, diabetes, lactating/ pregnant mothers, weaning babies, malnutrition, high blood pressure, obesity.

• Promote the use of health-specific menus designed by a qualified Applied Nutritionist for the above beneficiaries.

• Use Real Impact ‘Family Nutrition Cooking Training Kit’ in their extension work with their family networks. The course will focus on the Real Impact model Nutrition Garden Feeding Programme menu and associated planting programme, for the practical cooking component.

Course fees

KSH 20,000 per person for a five-day practical course - three days agronomy andtwo days applied nutrition. Max 20 trainees per course.    

  

Professional updating in Applied Nutrition for qualified nutritionists

This five-day course aims to build the capacity of qualified nutritionists in government Health Management Teams and NGOs as well as donor-funded and community programmes to design and implement nutritionally balanced menus for institutions and domestic kitchens, linked to Nutrition Gardens The objective of the course is to enable nutritionists to implement the Community Strategy more effectively by training Community Health Workers (CHW) in Nutrition Gardening and Family Nutrition Cooking. This will be more effective for those Community Health Worker networks which are linked to Rural Health Facilities (RHF) that have a Nutrition Garden and Nutrition Kitchen. Real Impact sells Nutrition Garden Kits as well as Rural Nutrition Kitchen Kits.

On completion of this course the trainee will have improved their ability to:

• Review current health related illnesses associated within the local communities and identify nutritional deficiencies in relation to these problems

• Identify and implement hygienic food preparation and kitchen practices which will enable them to promote appropriate practices for institutional canteens, extension workers and community leaders involved with food preparation.

• Advise on the implementation of methods used in the receiving and storing of fresh produce to retain nutritional benefit and ensure compliance with statutory hygiene requirements

• Promote nutritionally sound practical cooking methods to optimise the nutritional value of the food being prepared for the beneficiaries.

• Promote the use of specific vegetables which better meet the nutritional requirements for those in the community suffering from specific health issue such as HIV/AIDS, diabetes, lactating/ pregnant mothers, weaning babies, mal-nutrition, high blood pressure, obesity.

• Design and promote client-specific menus for the above beneficiaries.

• Use the web-based Real Impact ‘Nutrition Tool Kit’ in their menu design and extension work for different client groups with varied access to vegetable crops (in different agro-ecological zones). The Nutrition Tool Kit requires a password to enable nutritionists to use the database and nutrition programme to design menus. • Understand the agronomic constraints which prioritise the vegetables grown in the Nutrition Garden and therefore limit the vegetable ingredients available for the menus.

• Be able to optimise the nutritional benefits of the available crops in a nutritionally balanced menu and also advise the Nutrition Gardeners on the most nutritionally profitable crops to grow. This will enable the Nutrition Garden to prioritise production of the most nutritious vegetables to maximise the ‘nutrition yield’ per meter square of a small farm, or optimise scarce water use on the most nutritionally profitable crops.

 • Understand the basic growing methods for the 10 Nutrition Garden crops

• Identify pests and diseases in the Nutrition Garden and take appropriate action

• Provide Training of Trainers courses for extension workers to use the Real Impact ‘Nutrition Garden Field Training Kit’ in the extension work with their family networks. (subject to enrolment on Real Impact’s ToT course)

The course will focus on the Real Impact model Nutrition Garden Feeding Programme menu and associated planting programme, for the practical cooking component. Trainees will receive a login password for the Nutrition Tool Kit on the website.

Course fees

KSH 20,000 per person for a five-day practical course - two days agronomy and three days applied nutrition. Maximum 20 trainees per course.

 

 

Applied nutrition learning resources

Real Impact has developed two types of gardens to supply vegetables to kitchens – a normal Kitchen Garden with a range of 25 vegetables with variable nutritional values – and a Nutrition Garden which focuses on 10 vegetables with particularly high nutritional benefits.

  • An extensive network of over 40 Nutrition Gardens is being developed in the Thika area, with beneficiaries such as schools, hospitals, prisons, orphanages, women’s groups, HIV groups, youth groups, faith-based-organisations and self-help-groups. This network will provide learning opportunities for trainees in case study material in course work 3. Real Impact has developed a Nutrition Garden Cook Book with a range of nutritionally balanced menus suitable for any of the above beneficiary groups as well as domestic households. The book also covers basic nutrition information on ingredients (dry goods and vegetables) and nutritional analysis of all individual recipes in the book. Basic food hygiene guidelines, food handling and storage, as well as cooking methods are also outlined. Food preservation and production of fruit and vegetable juices are also explained. This book will be provided to trainees as their Course Material

  • Course study notes covering the theory and practical components will also form part of the Course Materials.

  • A Real Impact Apron will be provided to trainees