Power of “ordinary” people to transform local food systems
Meet Esther Wangui a 42-years old woman and a mother of 4 (3 daughters and a son). Esther
hails from Kanyore village in Kigumo Sub- County of Murang’a County. Esther leads a women
group known as Kioneki (Kikuyu word meaning “vision”) which was started as local support
group for basic family related matters among the women.
In 2017, she came across Organic Agriculture Centre for Kenya (OACK) through a training she
had been invited as a group leader. Being a group leader she saw an opportunity to empower her
group members in terms of safe food production since all the members come from a farm setting.
She took the initiative right away to invite OACK field trainers to meet her group members and
educate them on agroecology related practices she had learnt.
Over the years, she had experienced challenges related to declining soil fertility, reduced crop
yields, and increasing costs of synthetic fertilizers. Being an innovator, she implemented what
she had learnt from OACK and her crop production has never been the same. Her group
members have greatly transformed too from the sustainable agriculture practices training by
OACK. They have been trained on soil fertility management such as land preparation, benefits
and application of bio inputs such as organic foliar, bokashi, and soil conditioners.
Follow up
During one of the farm visits by one of OACK’s staff, Mr. Ndirangu, Esther recounted that she
personally found many good reasons for wanting to practice organic agriculture ranging from
growing own food in the kitchen garden to reducing the cost of production. This was an easy
way to safeguard her family’s health, saving money and increasing income out of surplus crop
yield.
“I like it when I pick arrowroots and varieties of vegetables right from my own garden for my
family, which are fresh, safe and healthy.” said Ruth during a farm visit by OACK field staff.
Money saved is money earned, through homemade fertilizers and pesticides making as taught by
OACK staff, Ruth and her group members have been able to reduce their dependency on
purchased farm inputs too. Each one of them has a kitchen garden with vegetables grown
organically and have been able to extend the practice to other crops too.
“Since I started farming organically, I have had vegetables all year round, my kitchen garden
generates an average income of $4 weekly from the sale of vegetables to neighbours and some at
the organic market in Kangari which is always on Tuesdays and Thursdays of every week. My
joy comes from seeing an able to consume my own grown vegetables and arrow roots and even
extending the same through sale to neighbors and in the market. Using my limited space, on
average I pocket an income of $500 through sale at the organic market.” said Esther.
The organic market i.e., Kangari Organic Farmers Market (KOFAM) is an initiative by OACK to
secure space in the main market where farmers growing crops organically sell to local consumers
and traders who buy to sell to bigger town markets of Thika in Kiambu county and Nairobi in
Nairobi County. Ruth and her group members at Kioneki are a true proof that agroecology
works. The group is also a great consumer of our Black Gold granular fertilizer which they use
on the larger parts of their land and crops such as coffee and tea.
It is the desire of OACK to reach every small holder farmer with the knowledge and skills in
agroecological practices in crop production. The practices are ecofriendly on soil and all the way
through to crops #ForPeople #ForPlanet and #ForProfit. Why don’t you join us!