Stories From The Field
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Gift Garden

The Perfect Gift is One That Grows

November 21, 2024

THE DIG’s GIFT GARDEN The Perfect Gift is One That Grows: Explore DIG’s Gift Garden This Holiday Imagine giving a gift that keeps on growing. With DIG’s Gift Garden, you can honor someone you love with a meaningful gift that empowers families, strengthens communities, and nourishes the land for generations to come. This holiday, give a gift that goes beyond the moment—a gift that makes a lasting impact long after the holidays. Flip through The DIG Gift Garden. Explore DIG’s

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Food Security

Gloria Mushabe Receives Prestigious FAO Global Farmer Field Schools Innovation Award

November 20, 2024

Celebrating DIG’s Transformative Work with the Batwa Community in Uganda In a significant moment for Development in Gardening (DIG), Gloria Mushabe, our Executive Director in Uganda, was honored as a laureate of the FAO’s inaugural Global Farmer Field Schools Innovation Award. Gloria, a well-deserved recipient, has been a driving force behind DIG’s work in Uganda since 2018. Her deep knowledge of agroecology and unwavering commitment to community-led development have enabled DIG to effectively reach some of the most marginalized communities

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Kenya

The Power of Growth and Graduations

August 26, 2024

From Isolation to Community We believe social cohesion is more than just an abstract concept—it’s the foundation of our work and one of our most powerful Pillars of Impact. It’s what transforms isolated individuals into confident, connected community members. This transformation was on full display during the recent farmer graduations in Kenya, Senegal, and Uganda, where we had the honor of celebrating the incredible achievements of our farmers. These ceremonies were more than just a milestone; they marked the journey of

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Field Trips

Witnessing Hope in Action: A Field Trip to Kenya

August 26, 2024

“Seeing food insecurity solved one person at a time and witnessing how those efforts multiply is truly hope becoming reality.” Tom McGuire DIG’s Board Chair, Tom McGuire, recently traveled to Kenya with eight other participants to observe DIG’s transformative work up close. In his refections, he highlights the profound impact DIG’s Core Programs are having on participants. What stood out most to him was DIG’s ability to move the mark around social cohesion. Fostering strong, interconnected communities is foundational to

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Community Transformation

DIG’s AquaFaba Cocktail

August 21, 2024

How Good Food Can Transform Health, Communities, and the Planet—Plus, a Delicious Cocktail Tip! When we come together around our shared love for good food, we’re not just filling our plates—we’re nourishing our health, strengthening our communities, and protecting our planet. At DIG, we work with some of the most vulnerable producers in the world, but here’s a little secret: as consumers, you hold incredible power too. Together, we can demand a shift in the entire food system. By supporting

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Climate Resilience

Soil Health

July 10, 2024

From Perception to Precision: How Farmer’s Insights and Soil Science Can Shape the Future of Regenerative Agriculture.  How do farmers’ perceptions of the health of their soil compare to laboratory results? How can comparing perceptions and laboratory tests influence the use of regenerative agriculture practices by smallholder farmers? These are some of the questions Postdoctoral Associate Jordan Blekking from the Department of Global Development at Cornell University, and, a recent recipient of a Polson Institute for Global Development grant, wanted

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Field Trips

A Reflection on DIG’s 2023 Kenya Field Trip

June 27, 2023

This May, DIG welcomed 10 guests to Kenya for our first Field Trip since 2019. DIG's Kenya team embraced us with open arms and took time to teach us some of what they do. Read about the experience from one of our trip participants, Dana Clarkson.

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Cocktails and Castoffs

Your Cocktails & Castoffs Gifts Are Growing

June 23, 2023

It's been eight months since we gathered virtually for Cocktails & Castoffs AT HOME 2022. The DIG community wrapped their arms around this organization with a collective hope for a more nourished and healthy world. As an organization, we were humbled and deeply grateful for the many ways you showed up, and today, we have the privilege of sharing an extraordinary update that showcases the transformative power your contributions and the unwavering resilience of families we serve.

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Community Transformation

The Cocktails & Castoffs

June 2, 2023

DIG loves to tell the story of our work through food, after all, if we are going to get excited about doing hard things, let’s find ways to experience pleasure in the work. Below is a copy of DIG’s Cocktails and Castoffs Cookzine Issue 3. With a suggested donation of $50 or more, you may request a hard copy mailed to you. For a $250 donation you may request all 3 unique copies. Email [email protected] for more information. Cookzine Issue

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Serina’s joy is hosting people in her home.

She is in her 70’s and has never formally worked. While her husband primarly farmed maize and beans, Serina always perceived agriculture as something that happened out in the fields, separated from the house and concentrated on one or two crops.

When DIG came to her area in June, 2021 she quickly joined the program, not because she was wanted to garden, but because she heard it was a US organization and hoped they would distribute money through the project. She quickly learned that was not going to happen but Serina stayed a part of the group because, Andrew, her DIG Facilitator, painted a mental picture of what her home could become.

Her’s was a good sized compound with a two mud brick buildings, scattered trees, and lots of grass.  It was a traditional dwelling for this part of Uganda, but Andrew planted a seed in her imagination that her home could look wildly different.

Through DIG’s Farmer Field School program, Serina learned how to cultivate her steep hillside, amend her soil, and select the best seeds.

Starting with only a small portion of land near her house, she grew beets, swiss chard, eggplants and few other vegetables. Fairly quickly she harvested those crops, and to her and her husband’s delight, enjoyed a rich improvement to their meals. Visitors who came by stayed awhile to share a meal and returned more often.

Motivated by what she’d started, Serina expanded her home garden. She started vegetable nurseries and diversified her crop selection even further. She even started selling excess produce and seedlings to her neighbors, making enough money to buy two rabbits.

“No visitor comes to my home and leaves empty handed,” Serina said. “I have something for everyone. If you can’t afford pumpkins you can afford black nightshade.”

Her DIG facilitator, Andrew, was inspired by her growth. He worried that because she was older and was initially looking for money through the program, she might not give it a real try. But, he was happy to report, “She is so adaptable!” “She has really learned new ways of growing. I have seen that many older farmers are stubborn and struggle to adopt new technologies, but look at her compound. It is filled with vegetables and that brings her many visitors.”

Serina is grateful she doesn’t have to ask her husband or their married daughters for money. She can afford home essentials like soap and kitchen supplies, and her husband is pleased he enjoys the vegetables he once ate as a child.

But Serina’s real joy is her grandchildren, who now visit often. “She has good food to eat and tree tomatoes to pick,” says her granddaughter.
“They come to eat, play, study, and they don’t want to leave,” laughs Serina. “I’m grateful I have something to offer them, and it makes my husband and I so happy.”

Andrew now shares Serina’s story with his other DIG groups. He is so inspired by her growth and how she embraced new ideas.  He recently went to visit her after four months away. “She is doing great. No one is too old to change and try something new,” he shared. And Serina is a strong advocate for the program, “Gardening is simple at home. You do not have to go far or climb far hills. You can set something small around your home where care and monitoring is easy. Anyone can do this.”

Growth is a mindset. Serina is teaching us so much.

Help Us Plant The Seed

Help Us Plant The Seed

Your support will grow our capacity to equip uniquely marginalized families with the skills and experience to meet their own needs and improve their well-being through climate smart, nutrient-dense gardening. Help us plant the seeds. Consider a contribution today.

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