It is estimated that by 2030 nearly 50% of the world’s population may live in urban areas. Consequently, many millions of acres of productive farmland are expected to be lost to housing and industrial usage. In Uganda, the lack of appropriate farmland, low incomes, unemployment, and natural disasters have resulted in very poor food security. This makes the country’s chances of halving poverty and hunger by 2030 very slim. Uganda and other African countries need to increase agricultural productivity in a sustainable manner through innovative approaches, particularly in dense urban areas.
On top of this, Kampala is facing a major issue with urban waste management, where nearly 28,000 tons of waste are delivered to city landfills each month. However, according to the Kampala Capital City Authority, this represents only 40% of the waste generated in the city. The rest ends up in unauthorized sites. Often on city streets and in dense urban areas, causing significant environmental and human health problems.
So in 2014, a group of students at the Makerere University chapter of IDEAS For Uganda, led by Mr. Paul Matovu, developed an innovative approach to urban micro-gardening and integrated waste management in Kampala, a social enterprise called “Vertical Micro-Gardening” (VMG), the first of its kind in Uganda.