No begging bowl for Kitui women

Emaciated livestock, wilting crops, swills of dust, dry riverbeds and dams and hungry faces is what characterises most parts of Ukambani.

But in a shift from tradition, a women group in Mwingi, Kitui County is rewriting the script of Ukambani.

The group is using the harsh sun to its advantage by creating solar power which they use to irrigate their farms.

The women and the farm are now a source of inspiration and admiration for many around the area.

Welcome to Mkulima Farmers Field School in Ngomano village, Mwingi.

The group vice-chairperson Kimanzi Mwikali says for years they slept hungry and sought food aid from donors and the government.

“We had to seek alternative ways of surviving and we decided to turn to the sun as source of energy and this has worked to our benefit,” she says.
Despite the harsh weather conditions, the farmers are the main producer of vegetables and fruits in the dry and dusty area.

When Smart Harvest visits, we find them busy working on a vast farm covered with kales, onions, cabbages, carrots and pawpaw trees and with plenty of water thanks to their use of solar energy.

The Farmers Field School concept was introduced by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) over 17 years ago and its fruits are now being felt by hundreds of farmers who have embraced the methodology.

The main objective of the initiative is to teach farmers modern farming methods which include spacing, use of certified seeds and fertiliser.

Mwikali says they came together because of similar problems.

They first leased a five acre plot next to a dry river bed where they dug up a shallow well.

“We don’t have electricity here and through the help of donors we acquired some solar panels and we use this to pump water from the borehole and irrigate the farm,” she says.

Thanks to their initiative, the group is now the main producer of vegetables in the area raking in over Sh50,000 in a week.

“The solar-powered pump saves us energy and time and through this technology we have food through out the year as our neighbours seek food aid,” she says.

Jacob Wambiu, a member of the group, says the project has empowered members who can now afford to take care of their families and educate their children.

“We have learned that there is ample of underground water in Kitui. Our project is a testimony that crops can thrive in a desert so long as the water problem is addressed,” he says.

A consultant with FAO Edwin Adenya is full of praise for the venture. He says this has empowered peasant farmers and turned them from beggars to food producers.

“The farmers have decided under the Farmer Field School to use the harsh weather conditions to their advantage and this is a rare venture in this area,” he says.

Adenya says the Farmer Field School is a win-win situation for farmers and the government.

“The Farmers Field School is a versatile concept which is addressing the issue of food production, poverty eradication and capacity building for peasant farmers,” he says.

FAO livestock coordinator in Mwingi Duncan Abudiku says there is an increase in cases of women turning to agriculture in the region and calls for increased capacity building.

He terms water as one of the major challenge facing the region adding that there is need for the county governments to chip in.

“We are working on resilience building among communities to reduce losses caused by the harsh weather,” he says.

Now that they have sorted the problem of water, Wambiu says the biggest challenge the group is facing is the high prices of farm produce.

The Farmer Field School is a group-based learning process that has been used by a number of governments, NGOs and international agencies.