Development in Gardening (DIG)

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Development in Gardening (DIG)

Directed by local leadership, DIG meets communities where they are.

Our mission is to improve the nutrition and livelihoods of some of the world’s most uniquely marginalized people by teaching them to plant regenerative gardens that grow health, wealth, and a sense of belonging. 🌱🥕 Our mission is to improve the nutrition and livelihoods of some of the world’s most uniquely marginalized people by teaching them to plant regenerative gardens that grow health, wealth,

and a sense of belonging. Join our mission at dig.org

🌱 Rooted in Community
For those living on the fringes, the barriers to good nutrition and meaningful livelihoods are both broad and nuanced. DIG’s adaptive program prioritizes uniquely vulnerable groups who are often left out of other development opportunities.

🥕 Rooted in Justice
By choosing to work with these uniquely marginalized groups, DIG is filling a gap unmet by many other organizations. Our program moves people above a nutritional and economic threshold they couldn’t reach on their own, giving them better access to additional services and markets after graduating.

🤝 Rooted in Trust
Trust and relationship-building are key to DIG’s success. There are no prerequisites or conditions for participation, and program graduates go on to access additional knowledge, services, or opportunities from next level organizations they couldn’t access before.

🌍 Rooted in the Earth
Working in agriculture in the face of climate change means DIG must continuously adjust our program to effectively address changing needs. To effectively address the multi-disciplinary issues, we partner with other local and global organizations and elevate the communities’ voices always to promote local ownership of the program itself. Enabling household food security creates a pathway to improved nutrition, financial empowerment and climate resilience, all of which are critical building blocks for a better world for all. The work DIG is doing is just one piece of a much larger puzzle, yet so much of that larger puzzle is rooted in food.

04/08/2026

Join us Sunday, April 19, for a food-focused fundraiser celebrating DIG’s first twenty years of farmer-led impact. The evening is designed around tasting, connecting, and experiencing what thoughtful food systems can actually feel like.

We’re so excited to be welcoming back Chef Karla Baltazar of the Group, a Denver-based food company and community partner at the Western Center, for this year’s Cocktails & Castoffs. Karla brings so much care to everything she creates, from the ingredients she selects, the waste she minimizes, and the full life cycle of the food she prepares.

Whether this is your first Cocktails & Castoffs or your twentieth, we hope to see you on the 19th. Tickets are limited. Grab a spot today.

Cocktails & Castoffs
🗓️ Date: Sunday, April 19
⏰ Time: 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm
📍Location: Stockyard Event Center
🔗 More Details: https://www.dig.org/denver-cocktails-castoffs/

04/02/2026

At 90 years old, Mauda Nyiravuguwenda carries a memory few Batwa still hold.

She remembers the forest.

As a young Batwa woman living inside the Bwindi Forest, food wasn’t something you searched for; it was something you lived within.

“When we were in the forest, food was everywhere,” she recalls.

That was her world. Until it wasn’t.

When the Batwa were evicted in the early 1990s from their ancestral land, everything changed overnight. The forest that had sustained generations was no longer accessible. The foods she once gathered freely were suddenly out of reach.

Without income to buy food, Mauda began sending children into the bush to search for whatever greens they could find to feed her household of twelve.

But Mauda is more than her hardship; she is a knowledge holder. A caregiver. “We cannot return to the forest,” she says, “so we must look forward, our future is here.”

Through DIG’s training, Mauda began rebuilding, not just her garden, but her connection to the foods that once surrounded her. She learned how to cultivate indigenous vegetables using practices rooted in her local environment and seasons, while saving seeds to carry her harvest forward year after year.

This is not a return to the past. It is a future she is growing herself.

03/31/2026

Last year, over 100 guests were served, and when the night was done, just five pounds of food waste remained in the kitchen. We think that matters.

DIG is always exploring what it looks like when a meal is rooted in the land it came from, and finds its way back to the land. When food is grown, shared, and returned in a cycle that strengthens the community around it. This year, we're welcoming someone who's been asking the same questions.

Paula Thomas is a Denver-based food anthropologist and sustainability educator whose work explores the deep relationships between food, culture, and the land. As co-founder of Grappolo Food & Wine School and Director of Sustainability at Restaurant Olivia, she is working to embed more intentional food practices into the restaurant industry, asking the same questions DIG farmers return to every day: how food traditions, land stewardship, and community knowledge shape resilient food systems.

Join us on Sunday, April 19, 2026, for a special 20th anniversary edition of Cocktails & Castoffs, an evening rooted in food, culture, and what becomes possible when we rethink waste and reconnect with where our food comes from.

Secure your spot:
https://www.dig.org/denver-cocktails-castoffs/

03/27/2026

Do we go to market?

For the women of DIG's Fara Badji women's group, it wasn’t really a question, it was the only option.

If their families were going to eat, if there was any hope of earning income, they had to make the 13-mile journey to Ziguinchor. Nearly half a week’s income spent just getting there. Pooling what little they had, buying food in bulk, and carrying it back under the heat.

And then the waiting.

Hoping it would sell before it spoiled. Hoping what little they earned would stretch just enough. Hoping the risk would pay off this time.

And all the while, some piece of land sat unused, having been abandoned for more than 30 years. But the women of DIG's Fara Badji group saw something different. They saw potential.

So they began.

Over the course of their DIG program, they restored the soil, reintroduced local crops, and grew a community garden in that unused land. Today, what once required a 13-mile journey is growing just steps from their homes.

Food within reach. Less risk. More stability.

Not because the challenges disappeared but because these women led a different way forward. Let the women lead.

Read the full story: https://www.dig.org/the-garden-women-farmers-brought-back-to-life/

03/25/2026

Join us for a special 20th anniversary edition of Cocktails & Castoffs on Sunday, April 19th in Denver, CO.

When DIG was just an idea twenty years ago, Denver was one of the first places we came to share it. Many of the people who believed in this work back then are still part of the community, helping it grow today. That history makes celebrating this milestone in the Mile High City feel especially meaningful.

What started with a single garden at Hospital Fann in Senegal has grown into a global network of farmers restoring soil, strengthening local food systems, and ensuring families can grow nutritious food year-round.

Come be part of the story.

Guests will enjoy signature drinks and curated bites inspired by DIG's gardens in Kenya, Uganda, and Senegal, along with a thoughtful conversation exploring how food traditions shape resilient communities.

Save your seat: https://www.dig.org/denver-cocktails-castoffs/

03/19/2026

A Toast to the Women Behind the Bar

Tiffanie Barriere, widely known as The Drinking Coach is one of the most celebrated voices in the beverage world, known for connecting food, culture, and history through her craft. Over the years, she has generously supported DIG events and helped us share the stories of farmers and the ingredients that bring us all together. We’re incredibly grateful for her friendship and the spirit she brings to our community.

One of her creations she crafted for DIG is the Dusk to Dawn, a smooth coffee cocktail that captures the rhythm of both morning and evening.

As we continue to celebrate women this month, here’s to great drinks that begin with great ingredients, craft, and community.

Curious to try this delicious cocktail crafted by Tiffanie?
Explore the full recipe here: https://www.dig.org/dusk-to-dawn-recipe/

03/17/2026

DIG begins by listening, learning from farmers and building on the knowledge that already exists in the community.

Women farmers are often very much at the center of this work, leading efforts to grow food, restore the soil, and strengthen their communities.

03/10/2026

DIG is growing, and we’re looking for an Operations & Systems Manager to join our team.

As we expand, we are investing in the operational systems that make this work sustainable, and we are looking for someone to help us build them.

This hands-on role is perfect for someone who loves building strong systems, staying organized, and helping mission-driven work run smoothly behind the scenes.

Know someone who would be a great fit? Feel free to pass this opportunity along.

🔗 Link To Appy is in the Comments Below

02/26/2026

DIG is excited to share a funding opportunity with our East Africa network.

EARN Demonstration Farm Grant is now open for organizations across Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, and Uganda working to strengthen locally led agriculture through demonstration farms.

If this feels like a fit for your organization or partners, we encourage you to explore the grant details and list DIG as your connector if you apply.

Read more: https://earnglobal.earth/grant-details/

02/21/2026

DIG's Kenya Field Trip is an invitation to slow down, listen, and learn directly from the people who are reshaping food systems to be more nourishing and resilient.

Rather than a traditional tour, our May trip blends community-led learning, cultural exchange, and time in nature, guided by long-standing relationships grounded in respect for local expertise.

And maybe, if you're lucky, in between the conversations, garden visits, and shared meals… someone will invite you to dance. This experience isn’t only about observing the work. It’s about being welcomed into it.

Our time here is designed to build understanding, not spectacle, and to highlight how community-led solutions are addressing complex health and nutrition challenges with dignity, care, and a beautiful vision for the future.

Ready to experience Kenya in a deeper way? Our trip departs this May.
Learn more: https://www.dig.org/2026-dig-kenya-field-trip/

02/06/2026

Join us in welcoming Mourine, DIG KENYA's newest team member 🌱

Mourine’s journey with DIG began as a farmer in one of our 2018 Farmer Field Schools. Through the program she gained practical agriculture skills, which she implemented at home and went on to share with her neighbors. Today, she serves as a Mentor Mother at Rangwe Sub-County Hospital where DIG's Priority Household Program helps children recover from malnutrition.

Also a mother of five, Mourine walks alongside mothers as they improve the nutrition, health, and overall wellbeing of their children through nutrition support and garden creation.

We’re grateful to have Mourine on the DIG KENYA team and are looking forward to continue growing together.

01/28/2026

JOIN DIG IN KENYA THIS MAY

We’re excited to share that registration is now open for the 2026 DIG Kenya Field Trip, a small-group journey designed for learning, connection, and shared experience.

This trip is an invitation to travel more slowly and thoughtfully. Rather than a traditional tour, the experience centers on learning directly from our Kenyan partners and communities who are shaping resilient food systems, caring for families, and stewarding land in the face of change.

During our time together, participants will:

🌱 Learn directly from DIG farmers and facilitators who are practicing regenerative agriculture, revitalizing indigenous food systems, and nourishing their families through and beyond the DIG program.

🐘 Spend time on safari at a bush camp that is owned, run, and staffed by Maasai, and is recognized for its commitment to conservation and community stewardship.

🔗 Explore the full trip details and learn more: https://www.dig.org/2026-dig-kenya-field-trip/

Address

San Diego, CA

Telephone

+16192747218

Website

http://www.DIG.org/

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