The role of home gardens in empowering minority women and improving food and nutrition insecurity: a case of Mbororo community in Cameroon’s Northwest region

ABSTRACT

This study documents the impact of a gender-sensitive home garden project initiated to mitigate the food and nutritional insecurity of 114 households in seven Mbororo communities in Cameroon’s Northwest region. Key lessons learned regarding the empowerment of the Mbororo women; socio-economic and nutritional health benefits derived by Mbororo households from the cultivation of nutrient-rich, high market-value, and indigenous vegetables; and challenges faced during the project lifecycle are outlined. It is envisaged these lessons will support public, private, and civil society actors initiating similar home garden projects to address the food and nutrition insecurity of other minority groups in Sub-Saharan Africa.

KEYWORDS:

• Nutrient-rich vegetables
• indigenous vegetables
• gender-sensitive
• nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions
• food-based approach
• home garden
• food security

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This publication was financially supported by the fiat panis foundation and the Food Security Center of the University of Hohenheim, with funds provided by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) program “Exceed.”