Farmers Workshop in Matungulu

Kenya is one of the countries bearing the brunt of climate change which is having far reaching negative effects on the already uncertain food security situation for both crop cultivators and pastoralists. In recent years droughts have become frequent, reducing production of maize, the staple food crop, sugarcane and coffee, worsening Kenya’s food security.

These two issues and the upcoming elections in August 2017 present Greenpeace Africa with a unique opportunity to try swing the Agriculture policies towards supporting ecological agriculture since the solution to both these problems is rooted in ecological agriculture. It is with this background that Greenpeace Africa partnered with Institute for Culture and Ecology (ICE), a local NGO working with farmers to organise a farmers workshop in Matungulu, Machakos County. Machakos is about 3 hours drive out of Nairobi.

Farmers exchanged knowledge on water harvesting techniques, preparing and using zaï pits (wide deep planting pits) and composting to ensure resilience against changing weather patterns. Approximately 100 farmers were very enthusiastic, asking questions and taking notes. In attendance were 10 journalists from Nairobi and the region. In the afternoon farmers got a chance to go out into the field, learning what they had been taught practically and interacted with media in several interviews.