Dispatches from the Field: Gardens for Health International

In addition to the annual Grand Prize awarded in each Challenge cycle, The Buckminster Fuller Institute supports further Finalist, Semi-Finalist, and other outstanding select initiatives and project teams through our Catalyst Program. Gardens for Health International, named a Semi-Finalist in 2014, has been reaping the benefits of the Catalyst Program through increased international press coverage with more benefits to come!

“Engaging with The Buckminster Fuller Institute through this application process has given us the chance to reflect on and express the long-term benefits to both the healthcare and food systems that we believe our program can create. As our partnerships and advocacy strengthen the healthcare system we are a part of, the agro-ecological benefits of our work are also building healthier systems that will ultimately lead to healthier people.”

— Jessie Cronan

Gardens for Health is an NGO pioneering the integration of nutrition-based agriculture into the clinical care of malnutrition. The innovative group partners with rural Rwandan health clinics to implement healthcare strategies that include nutritional education and the nurturing of home gardens of nutrient rich foods for each family. They are now expanding their programs throughout Rwanda and into Uganda, Burundi, and beyond. Buckminster Fuller often said that “the best way to predict the future is to design it.” Gardens for Health’s elegant model could be replicated globally to address malnutrition.

Read more about their exciting current initiatives and community blog updates on their website: gardensforhealth.org