Keyhole Gardens, Lesotho
Maseru, Lesotho · Operator: C-SAFE / CARE and partner NGOs (Lesotho)
Overview
A household compost-integrated raised-bed garden developed in drought- and erosion-prone Lesotho by the Consortium for Southern Africa Food Security Emergency (C-SAFE), based on a design CARE used in Zimbabwe, and spread widely across southern Africa.
Citizen participation
Households build round, waist-high raised stone beds about 2 m across. A central compost basket fed with kitchen waste and water keeps the soil fertile, and the height lets the sick and elderly tend them without bending. Families and communities grow leafy greens and root crops.
Operating model
A household-garden model in which NGOs provide the design, seeds and tools and residents build and run the gardens themselves, aimed primarily at self-consumption and nutrition rather than sales.
Impact
Research finds keyhole gardening raises the likelihood of food security and reduces moderate and severe food insecurity by about 11% and 42% respectively, with larger gains for households that received seed and tool support.
Land tenure
Household gardens built by residents on their own plots, typically close to the kitchen.
Crops
- lettuce
- kale
- spinach
- onions
- carrots
Scale
3 m² — Household raised beds about 2 m across; promoted widely across Lesotho and southern Africa
Sources（2）
This entry is compiled from the public sources, official sites and research below.
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