Growing food when the odds are stacked against you.

I just got this great story in today from Muranga where Irish Aid and World Vision Ireland have been running a food security recovery project in Muranga in Central Kenya. The goats and seeds that people buy from the World Vision Ireland gift catalogue have also been helping make this project the success that it is. It’s been running for over 2 years now and I visited it again last week. The farmers I met told me that they have been able to quadruple the amount of food they produce! Jane Wanjiru Mwaura is one the best examples. Jane is a retired nursery school teacher and mother of five children. She owns just a quarter acre of land and depends on this for her livelihood. She joined Kamaka Self Help Group in 2007. Through the project, Jane and her fellow group members received training on improved farming practices and water conservation techniques. After the training, Jane dug 450 zay pits, which are 2x2x2 foot holes that promote soil fertility and water conservation. Zay pits are hard work to dig, but the results are well worth the effort - she harvested some 800kgs of maize last season. This was more than enough to feed her family and to sell for hard cash. Jane has become a model to others in her community. She trained her six neighbours and they too have started reaping the benefits of zay-pits. Jane said “From the training, I have been able to revolutionise my farming. I even get crops when the rains are poor, while other farmers using traditional methods are not harvesting anything.” On World Food Day, Jane was awarded a certificate by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture for being one of the best farmers in the district. But she won’t stop there: She says “My intention now is to train more farmers in my are to be self-sufficient in food production”. Happy days.