Our Food. Our Future.
CHAKUDYA CHATU
Growing food. Building resilience. Creating opportunity.
Chakudya Chatu, meaning “Our Food,” is Kamwisani Youth Hub's community-led urban gardening initiative, responding to food insecurity, rising food costs and climate vulnerability in Lusaka's high-density communities.
But Chakudya Chatu is about more than growing vegetables. We use food as an entry point to build climate resilience, sustainable livelihoods, community self-reliance and youth-led action.
WHY CHAKUDYA CHATU?
When food becomes harder to afford, communities need more than short-term relief.
In Lusaka's high-density settlements, food systems are often fragile, leaving families vulnerable to market fluctuations and environmental shocks.
Chakudya Chatu responds by transforming small urban spaces into productive zones that provide nutrition and economic stability directly at the household level.
Rather than simply providing inputs, we foster an ecosystem of knowledge where community members become experts in their own sustainable food production.
Chakudya Chatu currently works in Chawama and Chunga, with potential for expansion to other communities.
WHAT WE DO
From growing food to growing resilience.
GROW
We support households and community members to grow food in small urban spaces using affordable and locally available materials.
ADAPT
We promote climate-responsive practices such as water-efficient gardening, mulching, grey-water use where appropriate, recycled materials and seasonal planning.
LEARN
Members learn from one another through practical training, community meetings, site visits and peer knowledge-sharing.
CONNECT
Food production becomes a starting point for conversations about climate change, food systems, livelihoods and the future of our communities.
ACT
We help turn knowledge into practical community action, with participants increasingly taking ownership of the initiative.
CLIMATE TALK
Climate conversations rooted in everyday life.
Climate Talk is our dedicated platform for environmental education, where members connect their daily experiences with global environmental shifts. Through peer-led discussions, we demystify complex climate concepts and ground them in the reality of urban gardening in Lusaka.
Food becomes the entry point.
Conversation builds understanding.
Understanding leads to action.
OUR APPROACH
Community first.
Chakudya Chatu is designed to become increasingly community-owned, rather than remaining a project managed by a central hub. We act as a facilitator, providing the initial push, technical support and space for learning.
Our approach is built around:
Ownership
Communities are drivers of the work, not simply beneficiaries.
Skills Transfer
We prioritise practical knowledge that people can continue using independently.
Peer Learning
Members learn from one another and share what works.
Climate Responsiveness
Gardening practices respond to water constraints, seasons and changing environmental conditions.
Collective Action
Food production creates opportunities for people to work, learn and solve problems together.
This approach reflects Kamwisani's wider commitment to locally grounded, people-centred development.
WHAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED
Small gardens. Real change.
In our first year:
primary communities
2
active gardens estimated across the two sites by December
15–25
Growing
Chawama & Chunga
household food production, sharing and income opportunities
The training and support provided in Chawama and Chunga has led to improved access to fresh, organic vegetables for participating households. Beyond nutritional benefits and improved dietary diversity, the gardens have become spaces for sharing produce with neighbors and exploring small-scale income opportunities through the sale of surplus crops.
community members trained
50
MORE THAN A GARDEN
Food can be the beginning of something bigger.
A garden can provide vegetables, but it also provides a space for community, learning, and self-reliance. Through Chakudya Chatu, we are exploring how food production can become an entry point for building climate resilience and social change in high-density urban areas.
Our long-term ambition is to move from a Kamwisani led project to a community-owned movement where gardening is a tool for sustainable livelihoods and youth empowerment across Lusaka.
OUR PARTNERS
Chakudya Chatu has grown through the support of partners who believe in locally led solutions.
Supported by
[USA SPONSOR LOGO / NAME]
BRYM
BRYM Global Working Group provides strategic support and technical expertise to help scale community-led climate action through our hub.
JOIN CHAKUDYA CHATU
What could you grow?
Whether you are a young person, community member, organisation, funder or potential partner, there is a place to contribute.