10th U6+ Consortium of African Universities International Conference

Achieving sustainable food systems in Africa requires innovative approaches that integrate scientific inquiry with community participation, experiential learning, and locally relevant solutions. Community gardens are increasingly recognized as multifunctional spaces capable of enhancing food production, improving nutrition, strengthening environmental stewardship, and promoting collaborative learning. However, existing studies in Kenya have largely focused on household or urban agriculture. There is limited attention to institutional gardens as platforms where scientific research, citizen participation, and service-learning converge to address food system challenges. Consequently, evidence linking natural resource suitability, vegetable productivity, dietary outcome, and economic sustainability within educational institutions remains fragmented. The study evaluates institutional community gardens as integrated service-learning innovation platforms at the University of Embu, Kangaru DEB Comprehensive School, and Kangaru DEB Senior School in Embu County, Kenya. Specifically, the study evaluates soil and irrigation water suitability for vegetable production. It further examines the growth and yield performance of spinach and onion under greenhouse and open-field environments and establishes vegetable consumption patterns among university students. Lastly, the study determines the economic value of community garden production through both consumed and marketed vegetables. Together, these components provide an integrated assessment of how community gardens contribute to sustainable food systems while supporting experiential learning and community engagement. An integrated mixed-methods design will combine biophysical assessment, field experimentation, and socio-economic analysis. Soil and irrigation water quality will be assessed using field observations and laboratory analyses, while crop performance will be evaluated using a randomized complete block design under greenhouse and open-field conditions. Vegetable consumption patterns will be assessed using structured questionnaires and focus group discussions. The economic value of production will also be estimated by assigning prevailing market prices to vegetables consumed and surplus sold. Quantitative data will be analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), while qualitative data will be subjected to thematic analysis. The study conceptualizes community gardens as living laboratories where learners, educators, researchers, and surrounding communities co-create knowledge through active participation in food production, environmental stewardship, and evidence generation. By integrating scientific assessment with participatory learning, the research advances an inclusive innovation model that strengthens sustainable vegetable production, dietary diversity, and economic sustainability of institutional community gardens. The findings from this study are expected to provide an integrated framework combining soil suitability, water irrigation quality, crop productivity, nutrition, economic value, and service-learning of community gardens within educational institutions that contribute to resilient food systems and sustainable transformation in Africa.