Sukuma wiki revolution finally hits NEP village

By ADOW JUBAT and BONIFACE ONGERI

Until two years ago, Nuria Mohamud Adan regarded Sukuma wiki (kales) as fodder for livestock and held them in nauseating contempt.

"I found it strange that people ate leaves!" she said. Like the rest of North Eastern Province, fermented pancake, locally called anjera, spaghetti, meat, and camel milk was the staple food in her Borehole Five village in Lagdera District.

Proposals to introduce kales on the sandy region to supplement vitamins in their meals and provide income were resisted.

Nuria Mohammed on her farm (left) and Adan Mohammed Farah weeding his farm.[PICTURES: BONIFACE ONGERI/STANDARD] COURTESY]

Residents here are picking scattered pieces after suffering effects of drought for many years and Faida is helping them rebuild lives. The Japanese Embassy, through United Nations Humanitarian Commission on Refugees (UNHCR), funds the initiative under the Environmental Restoration Programme.

He said there are more than 275 groups of farmers who also integrate tree planting in the farms and areas left bare to address the environmental degradation caused by large influx of refugees from Somalia.

About 100, 000 trees have also been planted in enclosures that were left bare by the activities of the refugees that included cutting and carting away the trees for fuel and shelter.

Faida say they assessed the viability of farming and found that the province was right.

Green houses

"The only problem is water but returns are about 95 per cent unlike in other areas where it is 65 per cent. The province also requires minimum pesticides," Shale said.

To minimise the use of the scarce water and attack from pesticides, Faida bought two green houses. In green house they use drip irrigation.

"We have negotiated with one of the companies that manufactures green houses to provide the farmers with the same on credit. The farmers will pay because they are making more than Sh30, 000 in profit.

"Our work is to teach them how to fish.

"Besides providing technical people to train them on farming, we also provide farming tools, seeds and pesticides," Shale said.

Nuria is looking forward to another project – poultry keeping. "This would be interesting too because we never used to eat poultry products," she observes.

"We won’t put much resistance because it could turn out to be of much benefit," she said.