Farmers met and shared ideas on organic farming
The Mountain Journal
Community groups involved in organic farming converged in Gatanga to showcase their achievement in the production and marketing of safe foods through ‘kilimo hai’.
More than 300 farmers drawn from five farmers groups from the counties of Murang’a and Kiambu counties displayed their produce at Ndunyu Chege village in Gatanga, in a fair where they exchanged ideas.
In a forum facilitated by Sustainable Agriculture Community Development Programmes (SACDEP), the farmers from Githunguri, Gatundu North and Gangata and Kangari exchanged ideas and information pertaining to processing and marketing of their produce.
The farmers displayed their innovations in compost making, how to control pests and diseases and processing of organic foods.
Sacdep field officer Ms Joelen Caroline Wambui said the stakeholder forum is crucial in agro-ecology farming as the farmers help one another in ways in pests and diseases control.
As SACDEP, she said, they are pleased to mentor the farmers from conventional farming to the profitable organic system as the farmers are doing better in herbs growing and processing.
“In Ndunyu Chege we have helped transform the locality after it was hit by landslides through initiating water harvesting technology, tree planting, establishment of water pans,” said Wambui.
Pelum has supported the community groups to achieve the best and major are selling organic products in the local markets.
Kigomo Central Self Help Group stole the show as it demonstrated its ability to process herbs and spices for sale in the local and Nairobi market.
A member of Kagomo Central, Mr Francis Mburu Waweru displayed how the group has perfected processing of the egg shell thus getting calcium in the body.
“We keep the egg shells and processing and saves the community from using drugs rich in calcium,” said Waweru.
Other NGOs that brought in farmers are COSDEP. OACK, ICE and RODI-KENYA
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