Combatting the food crisis in Africa: building resilient communities in Kenya

By Isaac Ogutu, Farm Systems Coordinator

Rural communities in East Africa often face economic hardships due to limited access to resources, education and job opportunities. High unemployment rates and reliance on subsistence farming can trap families in even deeper cycle of poverty.

The fragile landscapes of West Pokot where hunger, malnutrition, sanitation related disease incidences, gender inequity and insecurity are prevalent, and sustainable development in this area is more critical than ever.

Ripple Effect has launched a new programme called ‘Boresha Mazingira’ (translating to ‘Improve the Environment’) to enhance community resilience to climate change and socio-economic shocks, which are rampant in the West Pokot County.

The project will span over three years and aims to develop sustainable food and nutrition security by focusing on empowering local communities through sustainable agricultural practices, gender awareness /education and resource management. The project is being implemented in Mnagei and Kapenguria wards of West Pokot Subcounty and hopes to reach 15,000 people in 2,500 households.

With this project, we aim to:

• Strengthen food security; by developing and strengthening local food systems that prioritise local food produce, reducing carbon footprint and enhancing nutritional access.

• Strengthen local community structures; to provide access to environmental improvement (climate resilient) and sustainable services.

• Reduce dependency on chemical fertilisers and pesticides, through fostering permaculture and agroforestry.

• Educate and engage the community; by conducting both on farm and off farm training sessions to build the capacity of community members on sustainable practices and climate resilience and to improve primary health, nutrition, safe water and hygiene practices.

• Enable partnerships for further impact; by collaborating with the government, like minded NGOs and research institutions to share knowledge and resources.

The project was launched at Jackson Loriwo’s farm in Kamorrow village where a total of 669 farmers attended. Participants had an opportunity to learn different climate-smart interventions that support increased food, nutrition and income security, while caring for the environment.

The launch event offered a hands-on learning opportunity to communities who have been using conventional farming methods that have proven to be destructive to their land and subsistence. They could experience sustainable methods that can be used to replace their current methods (such as burning, mining stones and sand, using charcoal) that aggravate climate change, malnutrition, poverty and conflicts.

Many people from the local community of Pokot attended, along with other key stakeholder such as different seed companies, national and county administrators, Agriculture, Livestock and Veterinary departments, Kick start international, National Drought Management Authority, World Bicycle Relief, Wepesa Sacco, Gala Goats breeders, ADS North Rift, Pokot farmers’ Cooperative Society, Solidaridad and various media houses.

The Boresha Mazingira project is not only addressing economic and climate challenges but also fostering community resilience and social cohesion. It was exciting to see a successful launch, creating deep interest among target group communities. With our launch event, we identified over 650 households to participate in the project, and farmers anticipate great impact on the lives of the communities in rural West Pokot.

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