In Kenya, nearly 50 percent of children living in low-income urban areas are malnourished. This is being driven by rapid urbanization, rising food costs, and the erosion of traditional food-sharing systems. As cities like Nairobi expand, community leaders and researchers are working to reimagine urban food systems\u2014not just to feed people, but to restore dignity, health, and social connection.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up as a young kid, there was no guarantee that we could get 3 meals in a day. I used to depend on the school meal. It was a challenge that many people are facing,\u201d Greg Kimani, the CEO of City Shamba, says in the Food 2050 film, which premieres January 2026 in partnership with Media RED, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Food Tank. \u201cIf my neighbor cannot have food, we are not food secure.\u201d<\/p>\n
This belief reflects a broader cultural value rooted in Ubuntu, an Indigenous African philosophy of interconnectedness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was growing up, sharing food was a common thing that we did. It\u2019s about the value of Ubuntu, [meaning] \u2018I am because we are.\u2019 It\u2019s the spirit of helping one another. It\u2019s the spirit of sharing,\u201d says Dr. Elizabeth Kimani-Murage, a Research Scientist at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC).\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the world is urbanizing, and we are losing that culture of Ubuntu,\u201d says Dr. Kimani-Murage.<\/p>\n
Nairobi\u2019s population is projected to triple by 2050 to more than 10 million people. Historically, the city relied on rural communities for food, but those areas have increasingly urbanized themselves, reducing agricultural production. Dr. Kimani-Murage, who has conducted research on nutrition and food security among the urban poor for more than two decades, has seen firsthand how these shifts have deepened inequality. Today, she promotes agroecological urban farming across socioeconomic divides to \u201censure that people can produce safe food for themselves and feed themselves with dignity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In Nairobi, affordability\u2014not availability\u2014is often the core problem, according to Dr. Kimani-Murage. Because many residents cannot afford market prices, the food supply can exceed demand. \u201cA lot of the food finds itself in the dump site, and people go to scavenge on that food,\u201d either feeding it to their families or selling it to others, says Dr. Kimani-Murage.<\/p>\n
City Shamba was founded to challenge the assumption that dense urban areas cannot produce food. The organization trains residents in vertical farming techniques to maximize productivity in limited spaces. It provides seedlings and soil, which are often difficult to access. Kimani\u2019s team also prioritizes nutrient-rich Indigenous vegetables, helping households improve nutrition while reducing costs.<\/p>\n
According to David Osogo, a Research Officer at APHRC, City Shamba shows that urban areas themselves can be part of the solution to food insecurity and malnutrition.<\/p>\n
\u201cUrban farming almost gives you instant results,\u201d says Osogo. \u201cWe have seen communities in the informal settlement feed off their tiny kitchen gardens\u2026school children eating lunch and eating hot meals that are directly from vegetables from the farms\u2026chicken from the poultry farms within the schools.\u201d<\/p>\n