Kenya Bamba Ganze program 1300-1001
Stories: October 24 , 2008
Shida’s story:
After graduating from the Farmer Field School (FFS) in his community, Shida decided to start practicing what he learned there so as to improve his family’s living standards. He has 230 Zai pits/holes [fortified with compost, collect rainwater more efficiently] where he planted kales and tomatoes. He is currently producing enough for his family while selling the surplus to people from his village and five other neighboring villages. He has so far earned a total of ksh 6,450/ (or roughly about $90 USD) from the vegetables.
From the FFS Shida learned the importance of diversification. In the last season, apart from vegetables, he also planted maize, sorghum, cowpeas, greengrams [a legume] and cassava. He harvested five bags of maize and one bag of sorghum, which he has preserved using commercial storage pesticides. The food he harvested will last him for six months.
Shida is also an active beekeeper. Initially he used traditional log hives. After receiving training on improved beekeeping, he acquired 12 Kenya Top Bar Hives (KTBH) through a cost sharing program with ACK Pwani C.C.S. This season he harvested 29 liters of honey, which he sold and earned Ksh 4,350 (or roughly about $60 USD).
In total Shida earned Ksh 10, 800 (or roughly about $150 USD). He used the money as follows; pesticides, school uniforms for the children, school fees; and funeral expenses after losing his firstborn son. After all these expenses he managed to save Ksh 3,775 (or roughly $50 USD).
Shida in his cassava and kale farms
Kaka’s story:
After receiving training on crops and livestock farming, Kaka is now applying the skills acquired for his and his family’s benefit. Together with his wife, who is also a member of the village women's group, they had a dream of constructing a bigger and better house. They also intended to use iron sheets for roofing instead of using grass or makuti (coconut leaves) thatch. After upgrading their poultry, they were able to get bigger chickens which fetched higher/better prices in the market. The money earned was used to buy some iron sheets, feed for his poultry and a goat. Using the knowledge he had acquired from the trainings, he was able to harvest enough food and increase the number of his chickens and goats. Recently Kaka sold some of the goats and poultry and used the money to buy more iron sheets. Now his dream of owning a big iron-sheet-roofed house has been achieved.
Due to the big change in his homestead which is along the road, Mwarigha (one of the ACK Pwani C.C.S. staff) who used to visit Kaka’s place regularly when it had grass-thatched small houses, was not able to recognize the homestead at first sight and argued with his colleague that the place was not Kaka’s place until he was proved wrong.
Kaka's wife and women's group members have also constructed rainwater harvesting structures (water jars) on his farm, where he grows vegetables, maize, bananas and cassava.
Kaka’s new house, with a water jar constructed by his wife and by her group members.