The
Mountain Journal
There
are more farmers in Mt Kenya region working towards supply of the safe foods in
the local markets, as well as playing a crucial role in protection of the environment
along Aberdare Forest Catchment.
Demand
for safe foods has increased forcing many farmers in Murang’a and Kiambu to
accelerate the production of the safe foods through certification of being agro
ecology practices.
The
safe food farming is supported by Participatory Ecological Land
Management Use (Pelum) through five collaborators,
Organic Agriculture Centre of Kenya (OACK), Sustainable Agriculture
Community Development (SACDEP).
Others are Community
Sustainable Development Programme (COSDEP-Kenya), Resources Oriented Development Initiatives (RODI Kenya) and Institute for Culture and Ecology (ICE).
In the initiative there are
more than 100,000 households in the two counties
roped in the production of the safe foods eying to satisfy the rising demand.
Photo/ A sign post directing customers to a farm in Kangari in Kigumo where farming of safe foods is practised.
Interestingly,
the farmers have reduced land under tea and coffee, replacing them with
staple foods , vegetables, and fruit trees which are economical for the
families, saving them from relying on the cash crops.
The
Aberdare catchment is the source of water in the lower eastern and the coastal
region, thus the farmers are educated to stop soil erosion and stop usage of
the chemicals for the interest of other water users.
Initiated outreach programmes
reaching the farmers, with the objective of promoting organic farming and
environmental conservation.
According to a programme officer
Pelum Mr Jeff Kahuho, five NGOs are implementing the Integrated Watershed
Management for Diverse Farming Enterprises (IWAMA DIFE II) Project, which is
successful with locals in the counties doing organic farming and selling their
tea and coffee.
In the major markets in Thika, Kangari, Kirwara and
Nairobi, among others, the county governments have allowed agro
ecological farming practitioners establish shelves in the market area for easy
identification by the customers.
In the advocacy for environmental
conservation, farmers in Mataara area in Gatundu North turned to
usage of energy saving jikos, to save trees through support of Rodi Kenya.
Photo/ An energy saving jiko in use.
Samuel
Maina Ndirangu 60, says through Kangari Organic Farmers Market (Kofarm) a lot of
benefits have been realized.
Ndirangu
says the farmers have been trained in making the compost manure the
best in organic farming.
“In
the past 10 years, the tea farmers have been minting more money from the sale
of the organic foods, earning more as compared to the sale of the green leaf
to tea processing factories,” said Ndirangu.
Margaret
Muthoni is among the 190 farmers in Gatundu North who use eco-friendly jikos,
apart from planting fruit trees for the purpose of conservation.
Photo/ A tea farm in Ndunyu Chege area in Gatanga, Murang’a that was in 2007 washed away by landslide which has been rehabilitated through tree planting initiative.
New
Beginning Group with 36 members, its leader Margaret Muthoni says destruction
of trees stopped upon introduction of friendly jikos in the locality.
“The
destruction of trees was high along the Aberdare Forest catchment and now the
trend went down on introduction of the energy saving jikos.
The
farmers have learnt on water harvesting techniques which has seen
water bills reduced,” said Muthoni, a tea farmer.
Another
resident, Ms Nancy Wangui Kahiga says the reduced tea farms concept has helped
the farmers diversify to other crops.
She adds that there
are productive kitchen gardens, which produce more rearing poultry for meat and
eggs.
“ In this locality
Rodi Kenya has supported the three community groups, chicken brooders and
implementation of energy saving jikos,” said Ms Kahiga.
Photo/ A delegation from Vihiga that toured Murang’a county farms learning more on agro ecology.
Moses
Mbiri, an official at Rodi Kenya says tea farmers are leading in tree
planting, as they cut the size of their tea farms for establishment of kitchen
gardens.
In
the past, he added, millions of shillings from the tea farmers were spent in
buying food from other parts of the country, thus capital flight.
“Today
the tea farmers produce vegetables for their families, and sell the surplus to
the local market,” said Mbiri.
In
Ndunyu Chege locality in Gatanga was prone to incidences of landslides, which
has since reduced through farmers planting of trees in their tea farms, for the
purpose of holding soils.
John
Nyagia Njuguna said in 2006 and 2007 residents in Ndunyu Chege were victims of
landslides following heavy rains leading to massive movement of soils.
Photo/ Chicken brooder donated to New Beggining Group in Mataara area in Gatundu North Constituency by Rodi Kenya.
After
the catastrophes many of the residents relocated to safer grounds, and returned
after a local NGO Sacdep helped in reclaiming the land previously destroyed by
the landslide.
“We
had been desperate following the incidents but we have been helped in water
harvesting and establishing water pans to irrigate our kitchen gardens,” said
Nyagia.
Sacdep
official Ms Joleen Wambui says the food security programmes through crop diversification
have helped the farmers in improved earnings and diet.
Photo/ a market trader at Kangari in Kigumo Murang’a in her stall dealing with organic foods.
“
Gatanga located along Aberdare, there is a need to educate the locals to stop
the use of chemicals in their farms and to plant environmentally friendly
trees,” said Wambui.
Mr Jeff
Kahuho, a programme
coordinator at Pelum, says the number of farmers engaging in agro ecological
practices has been on the rise, a testimony of a bright future in the
production of safe foods.
The ecosystem, he
says, is crucial for the lower Eastern as it helps in production of water thus
encouraging farmers to stop use of chemicals and conserve the environment”
said Kahuho.
Murang’a Agriculture
CEC Prof Kamau Kiringai said more farmers are being trained on agro ecological
practices.
Photo/ John Nyagia Njuguna watering his cabbages with water sourced from a water pan.
Murang’a, he
said, is the first country to embrace agroecology farming.
“There is a need
to engage the farmers and recently a delegation from Vihiga county
toured our safe food farms,” said Kiringai.
This
year for the purpose of protection of the environment, Rodi Kenya has 3,500
tree seedlings for distribution to farmers in Murang’a, Kiambu, Kajiado and the
environs.
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