Kitui is a hot, dry, and arid land. Unless you have developed a water source on your farm, it is impossible to plant crops year round. A well was built on the farm where I was working, which sets an example for the community on what can be done with a bit of hard work and ingenuity. The well is about 25 feet deep and was dug on-site by hand. Cement bricks were hand made to hold the water, and a treadle pump was purchased for 7000 Kenyan shillings (around 80 dollars) to pump the water up through the well, onto the dry land.
There are also indigenous trees, fruits and vegetables that grow out here with minimal maintenance once they are mature. This includes mangos, cassavas, papayas, mchicha, sorghum even cashew and macadamia trees, to name a couple. The papayas are in season right now, and I must say, they are the most delicious, sweet, juicy papayas I have ever eaten in my life. Similarly, harvesting cassava and roasting or boiling them, is incredibly delicious! There is something about working on the land, and directly eating the fruits of your labour, that makes your meals that much more satisfying.
While in Kitui I had the opportunity to visit several off-shoot youth farms that have been developed as a direct result of our organizations intervention. It was incredibly inspiring visiting these farms, as these youth have neatly planted acres of sakuma, tomatoes, onions, lemons, cowpeas, green grahams, complimented with indigenous trees and fruits (papayas, lemons, cassavas, etc…) The organization works like a teacher, in that it works with youth, and trains them, teaches them, equips them, and then leaves them to continue on in the same work and train others.Here is a little bit of history of how the organization came to be connected in Kitui. They partnered with a local farmer and his family, who wanted to become active members of Shiriki. Fourteen volunteers then came out to provide much strength and labour in growing the farm land. They worked in several locations in Kitui, partnering with different families who were not utilizing their land. They turned many acres of barren, idle land into a tropical oasis overflowing with food and abundance. There was one well, which remains at the site where I was staying, and the rest of the irrigation was all completed by hand. After staying in Kitui for a year and a half, and establishing contacts with women’s groups, schools, and local youth in the area, the volunteers went back to Nairobi to strengthen the programs in the city.
Working in Kitui has been a training ground for me. Living the life we are encouraging other youth to live is certainly valuable in its own right, it is vital knowledge and life experience, and is truly one of the only ways that Africa is going to be able to find its way out of the food security crisis it has reached. As I have already mentioned, East Africa is experiencing food security crises at an alarming level. Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia have had two consecutive seasons of below average rainfall which has reduced harvests as well as grazing. This, in combination with the escalating food and fuel prices, has brought devastation to many communities. In Kenya alone, an estimated 2.4 million people are food insecure, particularly in arid regions.
Dry weather conditions have prevailed in East Africa for more than 9 months now; therefore, grazing lands for livestock, which presents a large percent of East African livelihood, has been greatly reduced. I saw much of this issue while in Kitui. During the July to September period, everyone lets their livestock loose. This was a huge problem for the farm in Kitui, as adequate monetary resources are not available to build appropriate fences, so we were constantly chasing out goats, cattle, and donkeys who wish to nourish (and can’t say I blame them) on the crops we have worked so hard to grow.
Following the late onset of rains, the main cereal planting season is ongoing this July in the Rift Valley region in Kenya, which the government is reporting will replenish the depleted resources. Time and adequate rainfall will tell whether or not this will transpire. For the first time, the government has approved the importing GMO maize to replace the insufficient food that was expected from this year. Many concerns have been raised about replacing indigenous crops with GM corn. These include disrupting local markets, (as GM maize is 30 percent cheaper than non GM maize), contamination of local varieties, and indeed, profits made from maize sales does not stay in the country, but goes to the big corporations (Monsanto).
In addition, while 2.4 million people in Kenya suffer from food security, much fertile farmland is used for exportation. Flowers, tea, green beans, coffee, pineapples, etc… are grown on some of Kenya’s best lands, and exported. Unfortunately, the agriculture policy makers and problem solvers are also Kenya’s biggest landowners. As such, land idleness, underutilization of land, land shortages and land conflicts are created and sustained.
When confronted with famine in arid regions, one would think that fertile regions, be used, in part to ensure food sovereignty. Ownership of land that could be allocated to those requiring land for food production, is instead shifted to those with capital or political influence. Additionally, much land is family owned and inherited, not a problem in and of itself; however, it becomes problematic with the rural urban migration and brainwashing that occurs. This brainwashing amalgamates the message that farming is an undesirable occupation; instead youth should migrate to the city where the “good jobs” are. Families let land lay idle, and wait for money to come from family members working in Nairobi.
Anyways, now that I am back here in Nairobi, there are a few non-farming related activities that I am involved in. A new program has been started up in Kibera which involves three schools, several local NGOs in the area, and environmental innovations. We have already been accepted for funding, but now have to develop a plan and a proposal for environmental initiatives involving the surrounding Kibera community. There are two members who are actively involved in this initiative who continue to participate in ongoing training. My role will involve aiding with the project proposal. I will report more on this as I begin to work in this area.
As I mentioned earlier, I have also come up with a revenue tracking process, in which I am going to try to generate some buy-in from all organization members while in the city. It’s a simple process whereby everybody receives a template for recording expenses and inputting revenue that the organization has received. These expense reports will be sent to the treasurer who will record the accounts for agency recording. After that, I will be inputting the data into an electronic database. We are continuing to discuss the parameters and time periods for which this system will commence.
One of the main income generating activities that the organization has developed involves the manufacturing of shoes, clothing and mosaics. Not only do they sell these items, but they also train youth and other groups, who need to make an income, on these initiatives. I have started to learn about shoe making and other processes and have been asked to help market these items. While in Nairobi I have started to look into partnering opportunities, and am working on a webpage that showcases these handicrafts. Until then, onward and upward, thank you for reading!
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