Abstract Globally, child undernutrition remains a primary health concern. Climate change will aggravate undernutrition and food insecurity, particularly in subsistence farming households in sub-Saharan Africa. Home gardening could serve as an adaptation strategy for vulnerable households, especially those with children under five years. Here, we present the experiences and perceptions of beneficiaries and stakeholders, contributing to the co-design of an intervention with home gardening and nutrition counselling in rural Burkina Faso. This qualitative study recruited caregivers of children below 5 years of age living in the Nouna area and local stakeholders from national and international organizations. We conducted and recorded interviews using two interview guides. These were transcribed and analysed using content analysis. In total, 43 interviews were conducted (32 caregivers, 11 stakeholders). All caregivers were women and all but one stakeholder were men. The primary motivators for home gardening were to increase food, health and finances. Dissuaders included the difficulty of establishing and maintaining the garden and uncertainty around the garden’s productivity. Caregivers highlighted environmental, financial and sociocultural barriers, whereas stakeholders emphasized the importance of community-centred approaches for a successful intervention. Our findings emphasize that long-lasting garden initiatives in rural Burkina Faso require external support backed by institutional and social structures. Sustained behaviour change in this context requires climate-friendly and affordable inputs. In addition, home gardening should be paired with the promotion of nutrition literacy and fluency to create climate resilience along with food and nutrition security at household level.