As the demand for healthy foodstuffs increases, farmers have been forced to increase their production, while adopting organic farming practices.
More than 100,000 farmers along the aberdare forest catchment area in Murang’a and Kiambu counties have rushed to benefit from the soaring demand as they seek to diversify from conventional farming methods that left them cash-strapped.
With uncertainty shrouding the tea and coffee sectors, many farmers have now ventured into organic horticultural farming, selling their farm produces in markets such as Kangari, Thika, Kirwara, Kiambu and even Nanyuki, where they have established organic stands.
The farmers are now able to acquire a supplementary income that enables them to sustain themselves, reducing their dependence on tea and coffee.
In the last few years, the farmers have received support from organisations that propagate agro-ecological farming practices in rural areas.
Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (Pelum), an association of Civil Society Organisations that work with small-scale farmers in East, central and Southern Africa, has been collaborating with five other organisations to ensure they reach as many farmers as possible.
They include Organic Agriculture Centre of Kenya (Oack), Sustainable Agriculture Community Development (Sacdep), Community Sustainable Development Programme (Cosdep-Kenya), Resources Oriented Development Initiatives (Rodi Kenya) and Institute for Culture and Ecology (Ice).
The organisations have implemented outreach programmes with the objective of promoting organic farming and environmental conservation.
The aberdare catchment area is the source of many rivers that flow to the lower eastern and the coastal regions and provide water to Nairobi county.
Farmers are trained on how to conserve both water and the soil while eradicating harmful farm chemicals.
Pelum programme officer Jeff Kahuho said the five NGOs are implementing the Integrated Watershed Management for Diverse Farming Enterprises project, which has recorded immense success with farmers.
In Kangari town, the county government has set aside stands for organic produce in Kangari market as a way of promoting agroecological farming and supporting organic farmers.
Samuel Ndirangu, 60, said they formed Kangari Organic Farmers Market, (Kofarm) through which they engage in organic farming.
The farmers make their compost manure from locally available materials.
In the last 10 years, group members have been making more money from the sale of organic farm produces than from their tea.
The reduced tea farms that rake in minimal yields have prompted farmers to diversify to other crops and even establish kitchen gardens.
“As a group, we are not hit by poor tea prices as much as other farmers because we have diversified and are able to get an extra income from organic farming,” Ndirangu said.
Ndunyu Chege in Gatanga, which was prone to landslides, has now become safer after farmers planted more trees in their tea farms.
John Njuguna said in 2006 and 2007, residents in Ndunyu Chege were victims of landslides following heavy rains that led to massive movement of soils.
After the catastrophes, many of the residents relocated to safer grounds and only returned after well-wishers helped to reclaim the destroyed land.
The residents have also been supported to harvest water and establish water pans to irrigate their organic kitchen gardens.
In Mataara, Gatundu North, farmers who previously used firewood for fuel have turned to energy-saving jikos to reduce deforestation through the support of Rodi-Kenya.
One of the beneficiaries is Margaret Muthoni, one of the 190 farmers who have since turned to the eco-friendly jikos and have also been engaged in the planting of fruit trees.
Muthoni, who is the chairperson of New Beginnings Group, said deforestation has reduced in the aberdare forest catchment, and farmers have embraced conservation measures.
Moses Mbiri, an official at Rodi Kenya, said tea farmers spent a big part of their earnings on buying foodstuffs.
Currently, tea farmers produce vegetables for their families and sell the surplus to the local market.
Murang’a Agriculture executive Prof Kamau Kiringai said more farmers are being trained on agroecological practices after the county became the first to pass agro-ecological regulations in March.
