Home gardening saves daily food expenditures
Home gardening reduces daily food expenditure and gives an opportunity to save money in the family says Mama Mary Aurupai who has been doing home gardening in Juba since 2011 when she moved to her current home located in Sug Zande Juba.
Home gardening reduces daily food expenditure and gives an opportunity to save money in the family says Mama Mary Aurupai who has been doing home gardening in Juba since 2011 when she moved to her current home located in Sug Zande Juba.
She said that as a daughter of an agriculturalist, farming is something that she has always lived with and home gardening not only saves her daily food expenditure but has also helped her to save money and do other activities such as the construction of her home in the village and supporting her children in school with fees.
She revealed that she has been able to grow various vegetables within the house like Amarratus, sukumawic, okra, and Gadia, etc, which gives her an opportunity to eat organic foods that helps her diet nutritionally.
As a person living with diabetes, working in her home garden has helped her very much in burning calories as it is a form of physical exercise. This has helped to keep her health in good condition because she is not able to run around.
Mary mentioned that her efforts have inspired her neighbors who have joined the trend. She has managed to clear the bushy spaces around her home, which initially were the hideouts for thieves and other criminals.
Honorable Pascal Bandindi a member of the Transitional Legislative Assembly of South Sudan who is staying at Rock city residential area Juba disclosed that home gardening especially the production of vegetables and fruits saves costs of daily expenditure in addition to presenting a variety of healthy dietary food.
He also supports Mama Mary on her assertion that farming activities help people to burn calories and is very beneficial especially to people living with conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Meanwhile, speaking on phone from Kampala Uganda, Yaranbga Rosetta revealed that home gardening has helped her a lot during this COVID 19 pandemic. Since the country was locked down and economically affected, she was able to survive well on the produce from her home garden.
She indicated that the garden keeps her and her children busy, something that she described as a good way to kill boredom. She added that when you practice home gardening where you have mango trees, guavas, oranges, etc. the trees provide shades for resting and cool refreshing air. Some leaves are also medicinal and can help treat various ailments. She, therefore, encouraged many people to take up this noble activity despite the challenge of inadequate space at home especially in cities where people live in rental apartments.
By Christine Ngbavungugbe
