DIG – Development in Gardening

One of DIG’s first gardens in Dakar, Senegal.

Gardens in Senegal, Uganda, Dominican Republic, Namibia, Nicaragua, Kenya, and Tanzania

We help struggling HIV facilities establish a sustainable resource for food that they can maintain, create stability, and strengthen their community. DIG is the only organization focused on implementing urban micro-gardens to encompass a solution and create self-reliance instead of dependance.

Improved nutrition, food security, micro-enterprise development, home garden extension, personal empowerment, and social change are the focus of DIG’s efforts. Because each garden is unique DIG customizes it’s projects to meet the objectives of the specific facility. These projects often include vegetable diversification where DIG implements highly nutritious but under-utilized produce such as kale, collard greens, and chaya into the growing plan. Upon the harvest of these vegetables, DIG conducts classes on food preparation and how patients can best incorporate them into their diets.

HUG, our Home Urban Garden program has been one of DIG’s most profound efforts. Individuals involved with the DIG program on hospital sites have been given the opportunity to create gardens in vacant spaces around their own homes. These gardens provide nutrition, income, physical work, and empowerment to its participants. HUG gardens directly benefit the outpatient and their family thus giving them a significant role within the family.

DIG’s Objectives

Improve the health of HIV patients being treated at the host site through an   increased access to  nutritious vegetables?

Provide a consistent and diverse supply of those vegetables to the host site?

Train gardeners in the knowledge and skills required for a successful micro-garden (e.g. implementation and maintenance)?

Establish gardeners as the future source of information and instruction?

Teach economical ways for interested out-patients and staff to duplicate the process at home?

Educate the gardeners, any interested out-patients, or hospital staff on plant care, crop rotation, and how to coordinate vegetable production with nutritional needs?

Help provide technical assistance with marketing and selling of surplus produce?

Reduce overall costs of caring for HIV patients?

Provide concrete support to struggling health facilities dependent on public budget

See lots more about DIG at their website here.