Nubian women in Kenya revive tradition through urban farming

Their initiative, which focuses on growing traditional vegetables, is helping them strengthen cultural identity while addressing food insecurity and environmental challenges in one of Africa’s most densely populated areas.

Founded in 2019, the Mazingira Women Initiative brings together around fifty members who cultivate indigenous crops such as amaranth, okra, and jute mallow — staples of Nubian cuisine. The group also recycles organic waste into fertiliser and promotes climate-resilient farming methods suited to the settlement’s limited land and resources. For many women, the project has become both an economic lifeline and a way to reconnect with ancestral traditions passed down through generations.

Yet farming in informal settlements remains precarious. With limited access to secure land, the women often face the risk of losing their growing spaces to development projects. Still, by combining innovation with heritage, the Mazingira Women Initiative is showing how urban agriculture can help preserve culture, empower communities, and build resilience in the face of climate change.