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More livelihood options, Less climate risk, More income!

Mr. Bedan Njeru, a member of Mwanzo group, a self-help group of 35 members, can attest to the statement that with more livelihood options one reduces climate risk and increase income. Mr. Njeru is a married man and a father of two children. Mr. Njeru is also a community leader in his location and knows the importance of being a member of a community groups and he is enjoying the fruits. Before ICE engaged Mwanzo group in 2016, Mr. Njeru confessed he did not utilize well his piece of land. Attributing this to climatic shocks experienced by majority of farmers especially from semi-arid areas like Mbeere in Embu County demotivated most farmers, resulting in them undertaking agriculture as cultural norm not as a livelihood option. This was even worse for most of his group members and community members in general who do not have other sources of income and have to rely solely on agriculture. Mr. Njeru has gained farming skills and changed his attitude towards farming. He started practicing skills learnt from the training provided by project dubbed Ecosystem Management for improving Community Climate Change Resilience . One important thing he is happy about is diversification of his livelihood options by integrating crop farming with small livestock like poultry. He is a beneficiary of chicken breed given out in 2016 as part of the project with support of Biovision Foundation. This motivated him to undertake poultry keeping as a farm enterprise. He has earned more income and he is also happy about the initiative as he gets manure which he says is rich in nutrients for his farm crops. One of recommendation he made, is for the sixteen (16) group members who have taken up poultry rearing as a farm enterprise to be trained on how supported on how they can establish and manage a marketing group to help them market collectively. This would help increase their income more and expand the initiative. Story by: Hannah Kigamba

Agro-Ecological Farming Enhancing Farmers’ Livelihoods

Variety is the spice that gives life all its flavor. Meet Janet Muriungi of Thuura Rwathuka Self-Help Group of Nyaki East Ward, North Imenti Sub-county of Meru County whose group has been working with ICE since 2013. From the time, her farm has never been the same again. Just like many other community members in Kenya who depend on agriculture for their livelihood, the Rwathuka group members were almost losing hope in farming. From the year 2013, ICE started reviving their hope in farming through promoting agro-ecological farming in order to build resilience of the smallholder farmers in the region. According to Janet, agro-ecology is her satisfaction. Her farm is what an English man would call an orchard. As you enter Janet’s farm, you experience real interaction with nature – different vegetation types, fruits, vegetables, cereals and livestock just to mention a few, living in harmony with nature. Janet\’s live fence What inspires Janet to do all this? This is a question that she gladly answer in one sentence, “the fruitfulness of diversity and essence of the beauty in variety”. All plants here are in harmony, no plant looks out of place and all coexist as they grow. This is the kind of beauty that the Nobel Laureate and Environmentalist the Late Wangari Mathaai envisaged. In Janet’s farm, maximum efficiency is realized as waste of one enterprise is an input to another. In her one – quarter acre piece of land, she has diversity of both plants and animals whereby fodder and residues from cereals feed livestock, while the manure produced is used to fertilize her farm for increased crop production. Such is the harmony within that agro-ecosystem! Janet has been able to produce enough nutritious food for her family and make extra income of an average of Kshs.7,000 per week from the sale of surplus produce. Janet\’s small livestock Janet is also the chairperson of the Thuura Rwathuka SHG and by the look of her farm she portrays a leader that leads by example. For sustainability of agro-ecological farming practices, there is need to scale up support for the farming model by both county and national governments in the country through supportive policy framework and extension services Janet’s shows part of what she harvests from her compound fence. The story also in ICE Magazine issue 7 https://www.icekenya.org/newsletters/ Story by Hannah Kigamba

Making farming climate resilient, for food and income security!

“I now feel proud of my work as a farmer and the success I have made this far. My family is not only food and nutritional secure but we are making a living through sale of surplus produce from this farm” says Victoria Mumo. Victoria Mumo hails from Kithendo village in Kithimani Ward, Yatta Sub-county of Machakos County. The climate of Machakos County is semi-arid with erratic and unpredictable bi-modal rainfall pattern. The rainfall ranges between 500mm to 1,300mm annually. Just like many other parts of the country and world, farmers in Yatta have experienced frequent crop failures, water shortages due to weather aberrations which have manifested in different forms such as delayed and untimely rainfall, increase in temperature among others. Victoria’s journey to success began when her group, ‘Muuo wa Canaan’ started working with ICE in 2014 under a project that aimed at building capacity of small holder farmers to adapt to effects of climate change. The project implemented in 2014-2015, embarked on creating awareness among community members on effects of climate change through sensitizing them on unsustainable land use practices; On-farm trainings on agro-ecological farming practices including diversification of farm produce; Providing exposure learning visits and supporting farmers with seeds for livelihood diversification between crops and livestock. Household food security was given priority in view of the uncertainties in production. From the project, Victoria gained interest to change her farming practices in order to improve the productivity of her farm. She said she was happy that her husband supported her desire to improve the productivity of their farm. They started by establishing on farm water harvesting structures and construction of house for rearing poultry in a bid to diversify their farming. Since adoption of the new farming practices and diversifying their farm as trained and advised by trained by ICE Kenya, the family now has managed to use their farm optimally and increased the production and income threefold. Farming has now become full time job for Victoria and her husband who previously worked as a hotelier. In their farm, Victoria and her husband have more than seven crop varieties on their farm including; Cassava, pigeon peas, sweet potatoes, bananas, mangoes, beans, maize and varieties of indigenous vegetables. “When farmers come here, they are surprised that I have been able to grow even crops such as bananas in this dry area”, She proudly says with a lingering smile. In addition, the family has two dairy cows and more than 250 improved kienyeji (local) chicken. The sale of milk, eggs and chicken earns them income to meet their dairy needs before crop harvest. In 2016, ICE started another project in Yatta that aimed at improving economic empowerment of women smallholder farmers in Machakos County. The project has facilitated training of women groups on record keeping, marketing and managing village saving and loaning amongst the group members. Victoria’s group was one of the groups engaged in the project among fourteen women groups in Machakos County. The knowledge and skills enabled Victoria become an entrepreneur farmer hence able to market her produce and earn higher income than before. She is also able to keep records as well as evaluating operation and production in order to determine pricing and marketing. In her village, Victoria is a model farmer who has strived to overcome the detrimental effects of climate change. She now understands well that as the climate changes, farmers need also to change. She understands that resilience is accepting the new reality even if it is less good than the one before. It is about being able to overcome the unexpected by striving to survive. Resilience in the face of adversity. Story by Hannah Kigamba

Towards restoring Ecological Resilience – A Case study

Ecosystems when faced by disturbances whether naturally or human-induced work towards recovery – this is a show of ecological resilience. The ease with which a particular ecosystem regains its previous or improved status is a measure of this resilience. Where perturbation is of high magnitude, recovery takes place slowly and over a relatively longer period. It is in such a case that human intervention may be needed to aid in recovery. Kivaa Hill in Machakos County, Eastern Kenya, has over the last four decades been degraded by surrounding community members through extraction of timber, fuelwood and medicinal herbs as well as overgrazing. In 2008, the community members approached the Institute for Culture and Ecology to forge joint efforts towards supporting restoration of Kivaa Hill’s ecological integrity. A group of elders came together after the community started partnering with ICE and laid down strategies to employ in aiding restoration of Kivaa Hill, which the community had come to appreciate as a critical watershed. Led by their leader, Mzee (Elder) Munguti Kavivya, the elders mobilized Kivaa community towards reforestation of the hill and also lobbied to have grazing on it banned by the local administrators. Munguti Kavivya and Kivaa Hill are intricately bound together as revealed by a recent visit to the area. After a short briefing at the foothill, Mzee Kavivya strode off up the hill while we followed trying to keep pace with this nonagenarian who was accompanied by a battery of other local elders. A few metres up the hill, Mzee Kavivya stops at a spot which he calls the ‘gate’. He selected plants for us to hold as a sign of peace and warm welcome and then ushered us to some stones to sit on as he readied himself to answer any questions. We were not far from the Ithembo, the sacred site on Kivaa Hill. We asked Mzee Kavivya to tell us his story of Kivaa Hill. He began by saying that before 1949 there was virtually no-one living in Kivaa area. There was abundant wild life and hunters would pass through from time to time. In 1949 his father brought his family to settle in the area. They were among the first settlers. He narrated that in the next three decades many more people continued streaming into the area, some of them seeking jobs at the Seven Folks Hydro-electric power stations being established at that time along River Tana, Kenya’s largest river. The elders who moved to Kivaa brought with them their Kamba traditions. They earmarked Kivaa Hill as a Sacred site and carried out the first sacrificial ritual there in 1964 to cleanse the hill for onward ceremonies owing to the degradation that the hill had suffered. Elders in Kivaa carried out more rituals in the subsequent years up to 1975. During all this time Mzee Kavivya operated like a lone ranger as custodian of Kivaa Hill sacred site. He started the process of mobilizing other elders and these started engaging in dialogues on how to protect and conserve the Hill. They also brought along younger people in what they called intergenerational dialogues. These dialogues culminated in development of eco-cultural calendars and maps as tools to guide in ecological reconstruction which was done in partnership with ICE and with support from the African Biodiversity Network(ABN) among other partners. “Today Kivaa Hill has its owners and is able to protect itself’’ Mzee Kavivya proudly testifies. Mzee Kavivya reiterated that the Hill is now respected and cases of illegal grazing and extraction of materials is minimal. He commends the local chief for the support he gives the elders whenever they arrest illegal grazers. He also appreciates the support from ICE. “If you take your goat or cow there be ready for the consequences’’ Mzee Kavivya declares. Each goat apprehended on the hill attracts a fine of Ksh.500 and Kshs. 1,000 for cows. Today Kivaa Hill is now providing ecosystem services like there before, courtesy of a recent research done by ICE in partnership with selected local community members. Kivaa hill’s hydrologic potential has been restored and streams now flow from the hill traversing the neighbourhoods providing water to the local residents. “Let’s avoid conflict while fetching water as the Owner of this water might be offended and stop it, instead let’s respect the hill where this water comes from”. Mzee Kavivya concludes. Article by Elijah K. Karugia

FARMING IN SMALL PARCELS OF LAND

Farmers who hold small parcels of land strive to attain high productivity, despite these size of their lands which they have homestead in them too. However, with decreasing land sizes as a result of land subdivision, it is getting more difficult to survive on farming alone. Meru is one of the regions where agricultural land is decreasing day by day as a result of uncontrolled land subdivision. While working with smallholder farmers, ICE has introduced farm planning in her on-farm trainings as a tool for optimal and sustainable farm management. This is helping farmers with small pieces of land to diversify their farming system and thereby increasing their family income. Mrs. Damaris Mwirigi, of Gakumbo village, Ntima West Ward in Meru County is one of beneficiaries of ICE trainings. Her group, Mwingene Group was engaged by ICE in 2014 and today, after exactly two years of engagement, she is a happy farmer as result of the benefits she has reaped. Damaris has changed her entire approach to farming, remarkably, since she started Farm Planning. Her farm is about 1/2 acres, in which she has a dairy cow grows arrow roots, beans, maize, and various vegetables. This mixed farming diversifies her income and reduces risk of failure through diversified risks. Her external food inputs have decreased considerably as most of all her inputs are from the farm. Her farm has become a self-sustaining system where the product, waste and by product of either crops or the cow is an input for the other. “I use organic manure, which gives a good result for soil fertility’’, says Damaris. Damaris is very clear about the benefits of farm planning on her farm and life: “After farm planning I have better results and I am more focused in my work’ she says. However, she admits that in the beginning it was not easy due to intensive labour requirement. At the end of every season, Mrs. Damaris evaluates her farm, to plan for the next season. This includes deciding on what crops to rotate in different plots she has divided on her farm. In addition to the farm planning skills, Damaris has benefited from trainings on preparing compost manure, agro-forestry and diversification of sources of livelihoods. With these skills she no longer relies on external inputs /chemical fertilizers for her farm. The results have been amazing. She has maximized her profit by reducing costs and increasing productivity through diversification and application of best farm plan possible. This has allowed her to farm in an efficient, sustainable and environmentally conscious manner. Damaris a mother of three says she engages her children in the farm. This transfers knowledge on need for diversification, sustainable organic farming and optimal use of land. The children happily enjoy being engaged in the farming activities as they benefit from it as some of their needs (for example education) are paid for using the income earned from the farm. Damaris ends the conversation by saying that many had lost hope in farming due to the small sizes of land, but after the trainings by ICE she is changing the minds of the people one farmer at a time. To her just like the famous words of Brian Brett ‘farming is a profession of hope.\” Also featured in the ICE newsletter issue 8 https://www.icekenya.org/newsletters/

Eunice Ngoki, the Queen of Arrow Roots

At Ngurumo village, Ntakira Location, Meru, she is known as queen of arrow-roots. Eunice Ngoki is a member of Meru Jitegemee group. After training on agro-ecological farming and need to revive indigenous seed and crops, Eunice decided to specialise on arrow-roots among other crops that had disappeared in the community. It was a time that many believed arrow roots could only be grown along river banks, but this was not the case for Eunice. With time, recognition of indigenous and traditional crops increased hence demand for these lost seeds rose. Eunice decided to specialise on production of arrowroot seeds in her community. Arrow roots have not only been part of her family diet but a source of income too. With a small portion of land (60 by 100m), Eunice makes approximately KES 1,600 ($20) a week from her farm. This inspired her to grow other varieties of indigenous and traditional crops and vegetables surrounding her house in a small portion of land. “Der Mensch ist, waseribt”.-A man is what he eats. This phrase could not be truer if you have not met Eunice. She has managed to feed herself and her family with a variety of nutritious foods from her farm. At her age, she is still looking very hearty than most women of her generation. She has endured the test of time, What is her secret? Indigenous foods! Through the programme, the socio-economic status of women in Meru has improved as a result of having enough and diverse foods to feed their families. This is because women are more affected than men by hunger and malnutrition. Therefore, in this international year of family farming, there is need to promote farming methods that are sustainable in terms of cost production (soil fertility) and easier to replicate. There should also be effective policies in place to enhance recognition and protection of variety of indigenous and traditional crops to reduce over reliance of fewer crops for food. This would go along in achieving MDG1 “eradicate extreme poverty and hunger”. Story by: Hannah Kigamba

Strategic Partnerships to Fight Effects of Climate Change

The first thing that strikes any visitor to the Thiiti Mothers group as odd is that there are men in the group! “The group was founded in 1989 by mothers who were then agitating against female genital mutilation but later they decided to strategically include us in the group to increase their lobbying power and voice,” Hassan Kiragu, a group member, explains. The group is made up of 20 members, 5 of who are men. “We had an opportunity through the ICE and RIDEP partnership to go on an exposure tour where we learnt about rain water harvesting as a way of overcoming the effects of climate change,” says Hassan. “Before we received start-up chicken for our poultry project, we were first trained on their management including disease identification, especially New Castle Disease. We can operate incubators and brooders, we are conversant with the selection of eggs for incubation, we know what to look for in a good egg and we can formulate our own feed using local material,” he adds. The group has received additional training on composting, the establishment of kitchen gardens, grafting and the use of Zai Pits. “In fact 90% of our members are using Zai Pits in their farms. The farmers have also been able to diversify into other crops such as Ndengu (green grams) and Mwere (Millet) as they also engage in their own research to identify and focus on those varieties that do well in the area,” he says. Others are keeping poultry and rabbits and farming vegetables and fruits. “We are grateful to the ICE/RIDEP partnership for all the support they have given us this far and we want to assure them that even though some of the technologies might seem labour intensive and costly like the Zai Pits, we know they are ultimately worth every effort we invest in them,” Hassan indicates. “We hope development partners can now consider providing us with a long-term solution to the problem of water scarcity, especially now that we are diversifying into other ventures such as fruit farming. We are forced to walk long distances in search of water and even then it is not enough for all our needs because the vessels we use can only do so much,” Hassan laments. The farmers, through their own local research, have realised that some tree varieties introduced such as Mikimas (Gravellia) are susceptible to Muthwa (termites) attacks. “This tree has a lot of promise if only we can get a solution to the termite menace,” adds Murithi, another group member. “We have also discovered that the most suitable tree for our rocky terrain is the Mwarubaini (neem tree) which is doing quite well around here,” adds Reverend Patrick Mwiti of Kamatungu Methodist Church. Nevertheless, we are encouraged by the survival rate of most trees we have planted through the ECOREC project,” Rev Patrick adds. He estimates that 65% of the trees have survived in the community despite the generally rocky terrain of the area. Chief John Muchiri from Marimanti location believes most of these challenges can be overcome through strategic partnerships. “It is difficult to achieve much in isolation, but through partnerships like the one we have, we can overcome most of the climate change challenges. We have, for instance, just finished sensitising the community through our ‘Nyumba Kumi’ campaign on an upcoming activity aimed at planting trees on the riparian of river Kathita which will rejuvenate the river and the environment around,” Chief Muchiri adds. Reverend Mwiti, who is also the school chaplain, agrees with this. He has had a strong working relationship with RIDEP for the last 2 years partly because of the church’s passion for uplifting the standards of local people but also because he has a personal interest in conservation work. “In 2014 we managed to plant over 2000 trees in our local schools in Marimanti location,” he adds. Reverend Mwiti, who is also the school chaplain, agrees with this. He has had a strong working relationship with RIDEP for the last 2 years partly because of the church’s passion for uplifting the standards of local people but also because he has a personal interest in conservation work. The church has recently invested in a poultry project which was inspired by poultry training under Enhancing Communities Resilience to Effects of Climate Change (ECoReC) project . The initiative looks set to be a model for farmers keen to keep chicken as a business. Rev. Patrick says the challenges the church faces are very similar to the ones farmers are facing. “Our main problem is water scarcity. “Our farmers have not yet fully embraced the concept of trees conservation even though most are aware that cutting down trees creates environmental problems,” he observes. Trees are a source of quick cash when they are sold as timber or firewood. When faced with a financial dilemma in the household, cutting down trees offers a quick fix. “I believe if all stakeholders including the farmers, church, government and partners like ICE and RIDEP put their minds together a workable solution can be found,” he adds. Going forward Rev. Patrick hopes that the project can scale up its activities in Kamatungu to cover a bigger area, “and if possible include a component of water,” he recommends. “There is need for more training to emphasise the need for farmers to revert back to their indigenous food crops like millet and green grams which seem to do well in this harsh weather”. Members of Maendeleo B Chicken group have already taken a bold step towards solving the water problem – they have dug and constructed their own water pan. Within a period of seven months after the completion of the pan, the transformation is remarkable. “We have been able to diversify our farming activities into vegetable farming, bee keeping and tree planting,” says Cathreen Kabiru Mwinzi, a group member. Their cost of living has also received a reprieve because they are now spending less on things like soap since

Farmers are the New Voice of Conservation

Cathreen Kareaikwa is what you may call a typical African entrepreneur driven by both a passion to serve her community and the desire to turn up a profit. She is the outgoing coordinator of the Tharaka Nithi Environmental Change Network (TECNet), a conservation advocacy network whose existence has been facilitated by ICE as part of its strategy to build and strengthen local institutions to champion the conservation cause in Tharaka Nithi County going forward. TECNet, like MaYaMa in Machakos is the vehicle farmers are using to articulate their concerns regarding the conservation of their environment, water and agriculture. The network draws its membership from over 22 community groups working in the county. Besides being a TECNet coordinator, Cathreen is a farmer with a passion for value addition. “I do dried vegetables, make handicrafts like baskets, bracelets, necklaces and so on,” she adds. Cathreen also does leather tanning whose end product she uses to make works of leather. Last year Kareaikwa’s tree nursery had over 7,000 seedlings. “I came to learn about ICE through the RIDEP when I was invited to a seminar on advocacy and the environment,” she explains. In Tharaka Nithi county ICE is working through the Rural Initiatives Development Programme (RIDEP Kenya), a local partner, to implement similar activities to those it is directly undertaking in Machakos. “RIDEP is our implementing partner in Tharaka Nithi County. But above all, we are both like-minded change agents advocating for safeguarding Tharaka’s fragile ecosystem and so working together is a strategic decision we have made to create more synergy in our efforts,” elaborates Martin Muriuki, Programme Officer of ICE. Since making this connection with ICE, Cathleen has been involved in a number of advocacy activities through TECNet including organising and leading a major tree planting campaign on Mashujaa Day that saw over 2,000 trees planted in different places in the locality including in churches, schools and government offices. “Through the advocacy skills we have acquired from ICE’s training, we are now able to engage our county leaders including our local Member of County Assembly (MCA) on environmental issues such as the uncontrolled cutting down of trees. We are able to dialogue with them for the enactment or enforcement of existing laws to curb the same,” Cathleen adds. Some of the training Cathleen has received that she is already putting to use includes the organising and execution of public activities such as mobilising the community to participate in mass tree planting. She has also honed her skills in negotiation. “As a result of our collective voice as TECNet, the farmers are receiving recognition as a strong voice that needs to be heard,” she brags. TECNet is in fact in the process of acquiring custody of Gikingo Hill from the county government. Gikingo Hill is an important source of the region’s rich biodiversity which is now threatened by extinction as a result of years of overuse by the community. The hill is also a major tourist attraction in the area. “Our main work, once the transfer process is concluded, will be to reforest the hill and thereafter manage access,” she says. This will be similar to what the Akamba Customs Group in Kivaa is doing reinstating the sacred Kivaa hill to its former glory. Still in its formative stage, TECNet is already showing great promise as a voice for pro-conservation in the region. “We just need to work hard to strengthen TECNet so it can continuously become an effective vehicle for advocacy in environmental conservation,” Cathleen recommends.

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