Fenny Kerubo, a young woman from Njiru, Nairobi Kenya had always been interested in supporting her family financially through agriculture, but farming always felt like a challenge to her. She was a homestay wife and the family was dependent on her husband’s income. Before joining Mazingira Institute’s Gender, Urban Agriculture and Food Systems (GUAFS) training in Jan/Feb 2025, she mainly relied on buying vegetables from the market to feed her family, which was often too expensive and other days they weren’t available. The uncertainty made it hard to plan meals and keep her family eating well.
After the GUAFS training, Fenny learned practical urban agriculture techniques, including growing vegetables in small spaces. With this knowledge, she began planting kales, spinach, and other indigenous greens at her home compound. The results were immediate because she no longer needed to buy vegetables and her family began enjoying fresh, nutritious food every day.
Encouraged by her success with vegetables, Fenny also ventured into rabbit rearing. Using skills gained from the training, she started caring for rabbits, which provide both food and additional income for the household. The manure and urine from the rabbits further enriched her soil and vegetables, creating a productive cycle that strengthened her garden. She now plans to expand into broiler chickens, confident that her knowledge will allow her to succeed.
Fenny’s journey has also transformed the gender dynamics at home. Initially, her husband was skeptical about her farming activities, and neighbors questioned why a young woman would take on such work.
Fenny says, “Here where I live, I am seen as very young, so people keep asking me, ‘young girl, why are you bothering yourself with farming? You should just stay at home,’ so when I started planting these kales, my husband was like ‘What is this you are doing?’ He felt like I’m polluting the environment. He said he doesn’t want to see those things in his compound.”
But as Fenny’s garden flourished, her husband saw the benefits firsthand. He began encouraging her efforts and even purchased an additional piece of land in Chokaa (neighborhood) for her to expand her vegetable production. Today, Fenny runs a thriving small-scale farm, selling surplus produce while continuing to provide for her family.
Through her dedication, Fenny has become an example for other young married women in her community. She encourages them to utilize even small spaces to grow food, generate income, and gain independence. Her story shows that with knowledge, determination, and support, women can transform their homes and communities through urban agriculture.
Written by Elizabeth Wambui Mburu and Samuel Ikua on September 28, 2025.
The training Fenny was involved in is an activity of the Women’s Spaces Project, an initiative of the Mazingira Institute and Rooftops Canada Abri-International, executed with the financial support of the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada.