Vertical and Micro Gardening

Summary

Since 2014, Vertical and Micro Gardening (VMG) has been empowering low-income urban households to grow their own food and increase agricultural yields year-round through ecological and innovative means for food production and agribusiness. To date, VMG has impacted over 2,000 families through installing Vertical Farms and offering extension services.
 

Challenge/Problem

It is estimated that by 2030, nearly 50 per cent of the world’s population will be living in urban areas. As a consequence, many millions of acres of productive farmland are expected to be lost to housing and other usage. In Uganda, the lack of appropriate farmland, low incomes, unemployment, and natural disasters such as prolonged droughts and landslides have resulted in very poor food security. This food insecurity lowers the probability of achieving the country’s target of halving poverty and hunger by 2030. Uganda and other African countries need to sustainably increase agricultural productivity through innovative approaches, particularly in dense urban and peri-urban areas.

Furthermore, the existing rate of unemployment among youth is up to 70 per cent in areas where VMG is present. To address this challenge, VMG seeks not only to enable women to achieve greater independence through entrepreneurship, but also to provide youth employment opportunities through an integrated approach to sustainable food production.
 

Solution

VMG’s solution to Uganda’s food insecurity and land challenges is the Vertical Farm. The Vertical Farm is intended to enhance the capacity of urban communities to grow food inside their homes, enabling men and women to earn sustained income streams through household-based social enterprises. Various models have been designed to meet the farming needs of low-income communities as well as middle-class urban dwellers.

The Vertical Farm stacks shelves of soil beds into tiers to enable urban households to sustainably and profitably grow their own food. It is both water-efficient and organic.

The original model, dubbed Vertical Farm 1.0, is made up of six wood trays and measures 3 feet by 3 feet by 4 feet. This farm can accommodate up to 200 plants at a time, producing crops worth up to US$355 per production cycle. A production cycle ranges between six and eight months depending on the type of crop. Protective mounts can be added to guard against adverse weather.

A vermicomposting vertical core makes the farm self-fertilising. Worms travel throughout the soil beds, depositing their worm castings and aiding in aeration and infiltration. This core also enables recycling of organic household waste.

Since January 2019, three new models of the Vertical Farm have been designed to meet different user needs, following comprehensive market surveys. Thanks to support from Design Without Borders, The Royal Academy of Engineering, Unconventional Capital and the McGinnity Family Foundation, prototypes have been developed for the premium and wall-leaning models. Testing is planned to establish yield per season for each crop variety.

The project contributes to several of the Sustainable Development Goals including SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 13 (climate action).
 

Results  

Since 2014:

1. More than 2,000 families have utilized VMG’s agricultural extension services to grow their own food.
2. Close to 600 Vertical Farms have been installed in Uganda.
3. 31 youths have been employed by VMG, and more than 80 volunteer opportunities have been created.
4. The total value of produce harvested from all Vertical Farms has been estimated at US$213,000.
5. More than 50 tons of biodegradable household waste have been converted into compost via vermicomposting.

In 2022 alone, VMG generated more than US$40,000 in sales revenue. By the end of 2023, VMG expects to have sold a cumulative total of more than 6,000 Vertical Farms and provided agricultural extension services to over 6,400 customers.
 

Lessons Learned/Potential for replication

In terms of operations and optimizing each unit, it is important to conduct a needs assessment before installing Vertical Farms. This assessment helps VMG understand whether the customer wants to farm for income or for nutritional purposes.

 It is paramount to secure a utility or otherwise create a very strong brand before launching in a new country.

NGOs and other corporate entities can purchase Vertical Farms on behalf of low-income communities, but a sense of ownership should be instilled among beneficiaries.
 

Next Steps  

VMG plans to:

- Set up a new production workshop to enhance VMG’s production capacity
- Launch packaged soil for sale
- Launch premium, wall-leaning and free-standing models
- Aggressively build VMG’s client base through online marketing via VMG’s website, social media and a mobile application already at prototype stage.