Backyard gardens beat rising food costs

When Matamu Moses walks into his backyard in Okahandja Park’s informal settlement of Katutura, he is not just tending to vegetables, he is protecting his family’s household budget.

The 34-year-old, who lives with his girlfriend and their three children, started his backyard garden in 2021, shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic, when the prices of essential goods began rising sharply.

Realising that buying vegetables every week was becoming increasingly expensive, Moses decided to make use of the little space he had behind his house. Today, potatoes, cabbage, and chillies grow where there was once an empty backyard.

“I realised I had to make plans because everything was becoming expensive after Covid-19. I had just been trenched that time, and I realised that I needed to come up with a plan to support myself and it prompted me to start this backyard garden,” he said.

The decision has paid off. Moses says he has not bought chillies or cabbage in about two and a half years because his garden provides enough produce for his family. The money he once spent on vegetables is now used for other household needs.