Planting Hope:

School Backyard Garden Ends Hunger, Meets Learner Nutrition Needs

Written by: Robert Anzo

What began years ago as a simple idea to add more green color to a rocky compound at Makerere Primary School has grown into a powerful model of how one school fights malnutrition, teaches practical climate-smart farming skills, and nurtures a love for the environment.

Located at the top of Makerere Hill, the thought of farming seemed almost impossible because of the sloping terrain, scattered rocks, and thin soil. But the creativity and determination of the pupils and their deputy headteacher have transformed what once looked like barren ground into a thriving, productive backyard farm — a green symbol of creativity and hope.

“We began this initiative in 2022 with the Primary Seven pupils that year. We simply wanted to make our compound look beautiful and more green. We constructed those two grow boxes and planted sukuma wiki even though we had no prior knowledge or skills in vegetable farming,” the deputy headteacher, Madam Ingaru Agnes, narrated.

That humble beginning marked the start of a beautiful journey. Over the years, the project expanded far beyond its initial purpose. The small grow boxes in the school compound slowly turned into a full backyard farm, fully managed by the pupils themselves.

Every year, the Primary Seven class takes charge as leaders of the farm — guiding younger pupils and ensuring the continuity of the project. At the beginning of each school year, they repair damaged grow boxes, refill buckets and sacks with fertile soil, and plant a variety of vegetables under the guidance of their agriculture teachers and the deputy headteacher.

“It was challenging at first,” the deputy said. “Growing vegetables for the first time means you have to learn through mistakes. But we kept improving each year. The pupils learned, experimented, and grew along with the plants,” she explained.

The garden became a symbol of teamwork and discipline. Pupils divided responsibilities among themselves — some in charge of watering, others of weeding, and others of harvesting. They set up a schedule so that every group has its turn to care for the vegetables. They fetch water from nearby taps, ensuring that the crops remain green and healthy.

“We usually get a day during the week to harvest the vegetables when they’re ready,” said Lajara Jacqueline, one of the Primary Six pupils. “Then it is prepared for lunch or as a side dish for all of us. It feels really good to eat what we have grown ourselves,” she added with a smile.

Such an initiative offers a unique opportunity to teach children not only about Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) but also about good nutrition, which shapes healthier eating habits and food patterns.

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), school-based food and nutrition education (SFNE) consists of educational strategies and learning activities which, supported by a healthy food environment, help children, adolescents, and their communities improve their diets and food choices. It further helps to build their capacity to act as agents of change.

However, in Uganda, the rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among children — many linked to poor diets — has raised concern among various stakeholders and civil society organizations about the country’s school feeding and nutrition programs.

According to the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), 5% of children under five are overweight or obese. Among school-aged children (3–16 years), obesity stands at 32.3%, with another 21.7% classified as overweight. Non-communicable diseases now account for about 33% of all deaths in Uganda.

Agencies and civil society organizations advocating for food justice and children’s safety have this year taken the lead in calling on the government to address this growing concern as early as possible. 

Among the key issues raised were: an immediate ban on the sale of junk food in school canteens — cited as a major cause of diet-related diseases among schoolchildren — urgent approval of the draft Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM), enhanced public awareness of unhealthy diets, regulation of advertisements for processed foods targeting children, and mobilization of stakeholders, parents, media, and schools to shift consumption patterns.

On December 5, 2024, the Ministry of Education and Sports announced plans to begin feeding learners in all government schools across Uganda. This decision marked a major shift in national education policy and a departure from the government’s long-standing position that parents should shoulder the responsibility of feeding their children while it handled school fees under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) program.

Under the new policy, the government will be required to feed at least 9.2 million learners in the UPE program across 12,551 government schools, according to data from the Ministry of Education Management Information System (EMIS) as of 2024.

The Minister of Education and Sports, during the presentation of the NRM Manifesto Progress Report, disclosed that the ministry had approved proposals to include school feeding in the national budget for the 2025/2026 financial year.

Despite this announcement, the Commissioner for Nutrition at the Ministry of Health, Samalie Namukose, revealed that implementation of the school feeding policy is still under review, with consultations ongoing among stakeholders before it is submitted to Cabinet for formal approval.

Dr. Marvin Miiro Nsubuga, the Head of Internal Medicine and Specialist in General and Bariatric Surgery at Nakasero Hospital, confirmed that disease patterns have changed significantly since the COVID-19 period.

“Diseases that were frequently seen in old people are now being noticed among the young,” he said. “Diseases like diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and kidney disease are all starting to happen more among young people.”

He attributed this spike to the changing lifestyles of young people, the increased use of medical tools for early screening, and the large consumption of processed foods available for convenience.

This has left the feeding and nutrition programs of school-going children largely in the hands of schools and organizations such as Action Against Hunger, which continues to shine a light on their importance. At the national level, Action Against Hunger is drawing on its expertise in school feeding and nutrition to advocate for a standardized national school feeding program aimed at combating malnutrition and improving academic performance across Uganda.

Learning beyond the classroom

What makes initiatives like Makerere Primary School’s garden truly special, however, is not just the meals they provide — but the learning that comes with them. Teachers have found creative ways to use the garden as a practical classroom.

Under the new competency-based curriculum, pupils are expected to learn by doing. The backyard farm provides perfect examples for lessons on germination, pollination, soil conservation, and sustainable farming. Pupils observe how seeds sprout, how insects pollinate flowers, and how compost enriches the soil.

“The garden not only feeds the pupils but also teaches them valuable life skills,” the deputy explained. “We fully allow them to take charge from planting to harvesting so that they can gain basic farming knowledge and use it to address climate change and food insecurity in their communities.”

Indeed, the impact of this initiative has gone far beyond the school fence. Many pupils have taken what they learned from the school garden and applied it at home.

“We are already witnessing the positive impact of this backyard farming,” the deputy proudly confirmed. “A lot of our former pupils have continued with this idea in their families. They are now producing vegetables at home, feeding their families, and even selling some to neighbors.”

The garden has greatly helped improve nutrition among the pupils. The vegetables grown at school supplement their meals, ensuring they get essential vitamins and minerals. The pupils not only eat healthier food but also appreciate where it comes from.

“When you grow your own food, you learn to value it more,” said one of the pupils, Naijuka Brighton. “We don’t waste vegetables anymore because we know how much effort it takes to grow them.”

A green lesson in hope

From two small grow boxes to a flourishing backyard garden, Makerere Primary School has shown what creativity, teamwork, and determination can achieve — even in the toughest conditions. Their initiative now stands as a model for other schools: a living classroom that feeds both body and mind, and a reminder that with a little green, the future can indeed grow brighter.