In a Kenyan refugee camp, farming is the path to self-sufficiency

“My life is so different now,” says 23-year-old Scofia Sadik Mandera, with a big smile on her face. “We have vegetables to eat, we have a balanced diet. I have more energy.” Over the past year, Scofia has grown her own kitchen garden – one of more than 7 000 in the Kalobeyei refugee camp in northern Kenya.

Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement, as the camp is formally called, was established in 2016. It is now home to nearly 40 000 people and is an extension of the vast Kakuma camp, which itself houses 145 000 residents. Ever since the camp was built, FAO has supported agricultural activities at Kalobeyei as a way of improving the self-reliance of both the refugees, and the host population who live around the camp.

Fresh, nutritious and home-grown

Each refugee in Kalobeyei is expected to survive on a monthly cash budget of USD14, which does not go far in purchasing fresh, nutritious foods in the market. As an alternative, FAO has supported refugee households by equipping them with seeds, tools and manure, as well as a training scheme that enables them to set up their own kitchen gardens.

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