Nutrition through food forests & gardens in Kenya

INTRODUCTION

Greetings from Drylands Natural resources centre (DNRC) fraternity. We are happy  to share our quarterly progress report on food forest and gardens in Kenya. DNRC continue to work with rural communities in the drylands of Kenya to attain climate resilience and food insecurity. This is being achieved through implementation of her 3 main objective which are social regeneration, economic regeneration and environmental regeneration.Though this project. DNRC is implementation food forests and organic kitchen gardens for nutrition both at DNRC demo. Farm and at farmers farms.  During this reporting quarter, DNRC staff in charge of the food forest  were majorly involved in managing the food forest through pruning, weeding, watering, manuring, harvesting among others.Also staff incharge of kitchen gardens, they were involved in weeding, establishing more vegetable beds and planting, harvesting watering, pest and disease control among others. Both DNRC food forests and the organic gardens continued to provide vegetables, fruits and herbs for both DNRC staff, interns and volunteers with extras sold for income for sustainability. Total of 67kg of fruits were harvested from DNRC food forest and over 150kg of vegetables also harvested.On the farmers side establishing food forests and Kitchen gardens,  DNRC staff in charge of outreach and training were majorly involved in following up farmer’s food forest progress and gardens in an effort to help them manage them well for good harvest. Below are detailed activities during the reporting period.

DNRC FOOD FOREST

During the reporting period, DNRC staff in charge of food forest were majorly involved in gaping fruit trees as well as planting more. Some of trees planted were passion fruits, tree tomato, pawpaw,banana, herbs among others. They were also involved in harvesting of different fruits for sale as well as supply of the same for staff, interns and volunteers meals. Some of the fruits harvested included yellow passion, banana passion, pawpaw, guavas. Pomegranate, pumpkins among others.A total of 67kg of fruits were harvesting during this reporting period.

DNRC ORGANIC KITCHEN GARDENS

DNRC staff incharge of kitchen gardens were busy preparing new beds to establish more beds for more vegetables.They were also busy managing the gardens majorly in weeding, Mulching, IPM and harvesting ready vegetables for sale and domestic use.A total of 150kg of vegetables were harvesting during this reporting period.

CHALLENGES

During the reporting period, we experience some diseases and especially on spinach due to heavy rains.Few pests mostly aphids were experienced on our vegetables and were managed through Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

FOCUS FOR NEXT QUARTER

• To continue maintaining the existing vegetables.
• To plant more new beds with vegetables.
• To establish more vegetable beds.
• To continue training and outreach on food forests and kitchen gardens to DNRC farmers.

INTRODUCTION

We wish to share our new year greetings with all of us. Drylands Natural Resources Centre (DNRC) continue to work tirelessly to achieve and sustain our goals of economic development, environmental regeneration and community regeneration through best permaculture/ agro ecology practices. Kitchen gardening and food forests are some of best agroecology / permaculture approaches towards food sovereignty and food security DNRC has employed. Your support has contributed to the progress we share today and we are grateful. DNRC has constantly maintained health supply of both fruits and vegetables for her staff, interns and visitors. During the reporting quarter, we were busy managing both DNRC kitchen garden and Food forest for better and increased production. Staff in charge of food forest was majorly busy with harvesting fruits, vegetables, doing some gaping, mulching as well as Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The personnel in charge of the kitchen garden was majorly busy with daily kitchen management including but not limited to: IPM, weeding, putting up new beds, harvesting, marketing,taking DNRC on educational tours among others.Training and outreach people also were training and helping DNRC farmers to continue establishing, expanding and managing their individual Kitchens gardens and food forests.Below are detailed activities during this reporting period:

DNRC FOOD FOREST

During the reporting quarter, DNRC staff in charge of the food forest was majorly involved with general managing of the garden focusing on the following: IPM which is  routine activity making sure that at no one time the vegetables are attacked by pests and disease to below economic injury. Another major activity in the food forest was harvesting of both vegetables and fruits; They included bananas, mulberry, passion, pawpaws guavas among others. Atotal of 50kg of fruits were harvesting from the food forest and 40 kg of vegetables harvested  from the food forest. 

DNRC ORGANIC KITCHEN GARDEN

During the reporting period, the person in charge of the kitchen garden was majorly involved with general management as well as harvesting and selling the produce. The following diverse vegetables were planted in the kitchen garden: kales, spinach manage, terere, onions, tomatoes, ndania, hoho, carrots among others. During this reporting period, personnel involved with the kitchen garden actively involved with harvesting and delivering vegetables for staff, interns and visitors consumption as well as for selling. IPM was a major activity during this reporting period to keep  pest and diseases at bay and to make sure the products are good for customers. Weeding, watering were also key activities during this period.About 150kg of vegetables were harvested from the DNRC kitchen gardens.

CHALLENGES

•  During THE reporting period, we had water challenge since the rains did not do well

PLAN FOR NEXT QUARTER

•  Continue managing the existing vegetable gardens
•  Eestablishing more vegetable gardens
•  Farmers training and outreach