“Age can be a limiting factor to most people when it comes to farming but that is not my case. I have embraced farming and it is one of my stable sources of income since 2015 when I joined Cheptirek Self Help Group in Lomut ward.  through the help of Edmond and other farmers who are also in my group, I acquired a wide range of farming skills which i am implementing.

I received five Maradol papaya seedlings from the group’s nursery bed and planted in my kitchen garden. I also received some sesbania and Moringa seedlings which I planted along the hedges of my farm.

I spent a lot of time guarding my farm from goats that had destroyed other farmers seedlings. I also invested in irrigation during dry seasons to prevent them from drying up. After one year of hard work, I started harvesting my paw paws and selling them in Lomut market and to my neighbors.

The profits I was making prompted me to raise more papaya seedlings to plant. I realized that this breed does not take long to mature and the fruit is big compared to the indigenous one and its market is also good. I have also preserved other seeds for other farmers in my group because I want them to plant this fruit so that we can meet the ever growing demand of paw paws.

My husband has supported me so much despite not being a member of our group. He helps me with erecting the fence and when i am not around, he guards our farm. Sometimes he takes the fruits to the market when I am engaged in other activities.

Despite the adverse droughts in this region, I have seen that we can still survive on irrigation and raising drought tolerant crops instead for food and for income generation.”

“Poultry was initially termed a woman’s project in the Pokot culture.  However, my perception changed when all my cows and sheep died due to lack of food and water when we were hit by drought. My wife who is a member of Kaiparer Self help group encouraged me and asked me to venture into poultry keeping with her. she had acquired poultry keeping skills but she needed my support to start the project. After giving it some thought, I decided to sell one of my remaining goats and we purchased 4hens and one cockerel to start with.

It didn’t take long before eggs started coming. We worked together with my wife and she always ensured after collecting the eggs and selling them for one week we buy another hen. At first I didn’t feel like this was the right thing to do. However as the hens continued increasing, I started embracing the project and even started taking the eggs to the market my self.

This project not only united my family but also transformed our lives.  We raised Ksh 30,000 from the project and purchased a piece of land. I noticed that my children were healthier than before because they had access to three meals a day unlike in the past. We also decided not to be selling all eggs but preserve some for our consumption.

Poultry is an easy project because it only takes six months before you start harvesting through the sell of eggs and even chickens themselves. I have realized that the secret lies in selling the chickens and the eggs in large numbers to raise more money and invest in other projects. At the moment my family looks up on poultry for provision of all our basic needs. We have also opened up a small baking business where we sell mandazis to our neighbors.

My wife attributes our success to the unity that exists between us. Before selling any chickens, we must agree on the number, the price and how the money raised will be spent. I have learnt to listen to her opinions and ideas unlike in the past.”

“Benson Koria and his wife pauline, (participants in the Farmer empowerment project)

“I joined Nyaltin Women group in late December 2015. I was impressed by the progress i was seeing in Pauline’s (Nyaltin Chair lady) farm. when my request to join their group was approved, I dedicated most of my time to implementing what I had learnt from the farmer field school where we were meeting weekly. I acquired a wide range of skills in poultry keeping and tree seedlings production.

My husband was against me joining any group of farmers because he feared I would end being involved in peddling rumors and causing conflicts. As a result, he banned me from attending any meetings and instead opened a posho mill for me.

I was not discouraged by the turn of events. I went a head and collected some tree seeds and established my small tree nursery. My aim was to raise the seedlings and plant in my farm. I knew that once my children grow up and start schooling, I will need more money. I have managed to raise some gravellier, Cyprus and Eucalyptus seedlings. From what I see, I have more than enough seedlings and I will be selling some of them to my neighbors.

I have also planted some bananas which are doing well and I will soon start selling the fruits at my posho mill which I only open in the evening after am done with farm work. Apart from this, I have also started keeping poultry for income generation through the sell of eggs. Although my husband was opposing my projects, he is enjoying the benefits unknowingly. I no longer wait upon him for basic commodities like sugar, salt and soap. The money I get from my eggs caters for this small expenses. Recently I sold two cockerels and gave my daughter the money for her school trip. Although I am no longer in the group, I am still implementing the skills I acquired to support my family financially and to provide food for them”

I formed Okin Self help group in 2015 with the help of Perpetual Yator the field staff of Jitokeze wamama wafrika. We were only interested with learning sustainable agriculture but when Perpetual started training us she incorporated poultry, self help group concept, crops production and Agro forestry. I was Impressed by the soil and water conservation training and decided to construct contour ridges to minimize soil erosion. Although the task required a lot of energy and time My husband saw my determination and promised to help.

I decided to plant sweet potatoes, sesbania and bananas along the ridges. My crops are doing so well especially the bananas which I have started harvesting and selling the fruits. My sweet potatoes did well and the harvests were bumper. I am planning to construct more ridges in my farm to reduce soil erosion and to produce more bananas and sweet potatoes.

My farm was bare and I used to suffer massive soil erosion during rainy seasons. I am glad I finally found a solution and my land is now productive and earning me some income as well as food.

I have also established a small tree nursery site. I am planning to raise some wood lot seedlings which I will plant in along the hedges of my farm.

(Jennifer James, Okin Self Help Group, farmer empowerment program)

Climate change has affected food production in most areas of West Pokot County. Most crops withered and those that survived the drought had low yields. However our participants in the food security program who planted drought tolerant crops have started harvesting their farm produce. Millet, sorghum, cow peas, green grams, cassavas and pumpkins did well compared to maize and beans. unfortunately, most people planted maize and beans and therefore suffered losses.

47% of children in West Pokot County are malnourished. This is because pregnant women and children below five years don’t have access to balanced meals.

This situation can however be mitigated through capacity building and increasing the availability and access to quality food to all.

As a result we are providing food and nutrition training to our participants in their Self Help groups. Most participants are women and we believe building their capacity and increasing practice will help reduce the percentage.

Our participants have embraced  kitchen garden approach. They have secured small pieces of land for raising vegetables and fruits for consumption. they have also embraced diversification and poultry keeping for eggs and meat production.

Jackline Sagami, a member of Kuku ni Mali shg in Mnagei ward, shares that getting a balanced diet is now easier. She does not see the cost anymore because she has planted everything in her farm and she has several chickens as well.

Mrs Lokwasia has a plot of pumpkins from which she gets vegetables and fruits all together. Apart from consuming them, she also generates income through selling them.

Most kitchen gardens have kale, spinach, black knight shades, cow peas, pumpkins among other vegetables as opposed to maize.

They have also planted bananas, papayas and mangoes for fruits production. As a result, our participants have access to balanced meals generated by themselves in their farms.

Okin Self help Group is one of our groups in Kapenguria ward. It was formed in 2015 and recruited in our food security program in the same year.

Participants were motivated by the desire to produce their own food for home consumption and for generating income.  As a result, the 14 women came together to receive weekly trainings on sustainable Agriculture and poultry keeping. 

Besides Agriculture, participants are also interested in getting training on the Self Help Group concept

I am a member of Elite Self Help group in mnagei ward West Pokot County. Our group has been working closely with Jitokeze Wafrika in building self help group concept capacity, tree seedlings production and poultry keeping. From the skills i acquired, I decided to venture into poultry keeping. Through the help of our trainer Mrs Perpetual, I constructed a chepkube for rearing my chicks. I also received a chicken net from Jitokeze which I used to construct a poultry house. I took a loan from our group’s savings and purchased one cockerel and 5 hens to start with.

Although I had been trained on poultry keeping, I realized that rearing chicken is a hard task and requires a lot of patience and dedication. despite the challenges I faced, I am proud of my progress. I have 50 mature chickens at the moment and most of them are laying eggs. My project has changed my life a lot. unlike in the past, I now have means of generating income through the sell of eggs. My children’s health has also improved because I have incorporated eggs into their diets.

(Sofia Chepyatich, Member of Elite Self Help Group, farmer empowerment program.)

Elite is one of our Self  Help Groups in Mnagei ward. We recruited this group in January 2015 after their chairman approached us and requested for our support in capacity building.

Their main area of interest was on Poultry, sustainable agriculture and tree seedlings production. Just like their name, participants have the quest to acquire knowledge to transform their lives and subsequently the entire community.

Their vision is to champion for environmental conservation through increased tree planting and protection. They have a tree nursery in which they intend to raise 20,000 tree seedlings to promote tree planting.

The group has a total of 16 participants, 4 men and 12 women. Apart from agro forestry, they also participate in SHG training.