UN Women training moves from classroom to gardens as women with disabilities put urban farming skills into practice

What began as a training exercise in soilless agriculture and urban gardening is now taking shape in household spaces across Bamenda, as women with disabilities begin putting the techniques they acquired into practice.

The practical follow-up is part of UN Women’s effort to strengthen women’s livelihoods by introducing farming methods that require little land and make productive use of materials that would otherwise become waste. This is part of UN Women’s 'soilless agriculture for the socio economic empowerment of women and girls affected by crisis in Cameroon’s North West Region project.'

The initiative trained women on how to transform used plastic containers and tyres into planting spaces, prepare compost from household waste, establish nurseries, manage water through simple drip irrigation systems and grow vegetables in limited spaces.

The approach is particularly relevant in an increasingly urban Bamenda, where many households have little or no land for conventional farming. It also offers women an opportunity to combine food production with potential income generation while promoting the reuse of household waste.

Among those now taking the training into practice is the Community Creative Centre for Women and Girls with Disabilities, led by Nogning Armelle.

Following the training, the organisation brought its members together for a restitution session. Those who had participated in the training demonstrated the techniques to other members, allowing the knowledge to spread beyond the initial participants.

“We brought our members together for a restitution session, where we demonstrated and explained the different techniques and steps we had learned during the training,” Nogning Armelle said.

The group then moved to practical implementation.

Members collectively sourced used plastic bottles, rubber tyres and other materials. They mixed and prepared manure, constructed stands, cut and prepared containers and filled them with the appropriate growing material.

A nursery was subsequently established, allowing the women to raise seedlings before transferring them to individual gardens.

Three weeks after establishing the nursery, the women met again to distribute the seedlings. Each member received seedlings to take to her own space and continue cultivation.

According to Nogning Armelle, this is an important shift from learning about urban agriculture to actually using it.

“Overall, we are encouraged by the progress so far. The training has moved beyond theory and has created an opportunity for women with disabilities to apply practical, climate-smart livelihood skills within their own communities,” she said.

The exercise also demonstrates the waste-management dimension of the project. Plastic bottles and tyres that could otherwise contribute to the growing volume of household waste are being repurposed as productive agricultural materials.

For households with limited space, the method offers another option. Vegetables can be grown vertically or in containers around homes rather than requiring conventional farmland.

The economic objective is equally important. According to Ajonga Emmanuel, UN WOmen project officer, by producing some food at household level, women can reduce the amount they spend on vegetables and other crops while exploring opportunities to sell surplus produce.

Nogning Armelle said the training had also increased members’ confidence in considering sustainable income-generating activities.

But the transition from training to sustainable production still faces obstacles.

The group has limited access to resources and materials, while some members do not have sufficient space to establish gardens. Continued technical guidance and financial support are also needed to expand the initiative.

“These challenges include limited access to resources and materials, inadequate space for some members to establish their own gardens, and the need for continued technical and financial support to scale up the initiative,” She said.

The experience of the group points to an important test for the wider project: whether the skills acquired during training can be sustained after the trainers leave.

For now, the women have begun that process themselves collecting waste, making compost, building planting structures, raising seedlings and taking them home.

The next step is to keep the gardens productive, expand participation and turn small-scale urban farming into a practical source of food, skills and, eventually, income.

By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Web

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