How Vertical Gardening Can Turn Urban Spaces into Food and Learning Hubs

In the city, it’s easy to feel disconnected from the food we eat. Supermarkets offer fresh vegetables, but rising prices, limited variety, and long supply chains make urban households vulnerable. That’s why I turned to vertical bag farming -a simple, space-saving way to grow food, even in the smallest urban areas.

Urban living comes with challenges: limited land, poor soil, and busy schedules. Vertical bag farming turns these challenges into opportunities. By stacking soil-filled bags, I can grow tomatoes, spinach, kale, onions, and herbs in just a few square meters. Every bag is a mini-farm, transforming balconies, backyards, or unused corners into green, productive spaces.

Vertical Gardening in Lusaka's Compounds

What started as a backyard experiment soon became a community movement. In Chawama compound, I trained women living with disabilities, helping them grow vegetables at home.

In Kaunda Square, a women’s group embraced vertical gardening, producing food for their families and selling surplus to neighbors. Watching their confidence grow alongside their gardens has been truly inspiring.

Beyond homes, I’ve expanded to transforming dumpsites and neglected urban spaces into flourishing green hubs. These gardens not only produce fresh vegetables and herbs but also serve as mentorship centers, where community members learn sustainable gardening techniques, share knowledge, and build local resilience. What was once wasted land is now alive with food, learning, and pride.

Why Household Food Production Matters

Vertical bag farming isn’t just about saving money - it’s about empowerment, health, and resilience. Growing your own food reconnects you with what you eat, ensures quality and freshness, and gives families independence in the face of rising costs.

We often want to overthink it, and wait for the perfect conditions before we start. The truth is you don't need a course to grow food - anyone can grow food - students, office workers, retirees - with just a few bags, soil, and seeds.

In the case of Hope Networks Community gardens we bring together communities to sharing seedlings, learn, experiment and our surplus produce strengthens community bonds and helps urban neighborhoods become self-reliant and food secure. Sometimes, we start in poor soil, with no tools, with little water but we learn to find a way.

This journey has shown me that growing food isn’t limited by space or income - only by imagination and effort. To ensure that households can be food secure creative use of small spaces using methods like vertical bag gardening, container gardening, mixed planting should be encouraged. Every bag planted is a victory for food security, health, and community empowerment, if we dare to rethink how we grow.

Contact us on +260 972077095 if you would like to contribute to our community gardens project or to start one yourself!