An international non-governmental Organization, Ripple Effect, has unveiled an agro-ecology, sustainable food and environment improvement project to uplift the lives of people in the community through farming.
The two-year project targets to support 2,880 people from 480 households in Lurambi, Kakamega county to enhance their capacity to produce enough food by use of organic fertilizer and latest farming technologies on a small piece of land.
The technologies which are encouraged are conical and keyhole gardens for vegetable farming and sack mount garden while farmers are encouraged to diversify.
Ripple Effect is partnering with Vivamos, a Swiss organization which is funding the project. Vivamos has worked in Latin America for 40 years and has now entered Africa through Kenya to uplift lives.
Speaking during the launch and demonstration at Shimanyiro, the Programmes and Partnership support Manager at Ripple Effect, Alfred Juma, said they have already trained 13 farmers who will train community members to adopt agro-ecology and sustainable farming practices.
“In this agro-ecology project, we are using approaches that use natural resources like soil, plants, animals to ensure that we use soil in a more sustainable way so that it can regenerate and become fertile. Once the soil is fertile it will feed the crop, whether it is forage for the animal or greens or fruits for humans and then the humans will get nutritious safe food,” he explained.
Farmers will also learn from demonstration farms that have been established at specific farms how to apply the technologies in order to embrace the project and enhance production. He advised farmers to diversify their farming for maximum returns.
Juma said Ripple Effect is targeting to uplift 700,000 Kenyans and 5 million people worldwide out of poverty by 2030, in collaboration with like-minded partners.
The Western Regional Coordinator of Vivamos, Stellamaris Mulai said the project seeks to among other objectives promote sustainable farming through agro-ecology to boost production.
She said Vivamos is working with Ripple Effect in Lurambi, Justice and Peace Commission in Mumias East and Mumias West and the Anglican Development Services (ADS) in Shinyalu.
The County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Moffat Mandela, welcomed the project assuring of the county government support to ensure farmers’ lives are transformed.
He said the project will help in addressing the challenge of acidity that the county government has been grappling with which has led to low yields from the farms.
By Moses Wekesa
