Nutrition through food forests & gardens in Kenya

INTRODUCTION

Much greetings from Drylands Natural Resources Centre (DNRC), we are glad once again to share our progress report on nutrition through food forest and gardens in Kenya. DNRC continues to promote permaculture and agro ecology both within her premises and as well as amongst the farmers its working with. Food forest and kitchen gardens are key permaculture concept which play a big role towards good nutrition for our good health. During this reporting period, DNRC has continued to maintain both the food forest and the kitchen gardens to keep constant supply of health food in terms of fruits, vegetables, herbs among others for both DNRC staff, visitors and interns. During the reporting quarter, DNRC person in charge of the food forest was majorly involved with general maintenance of the food forest majorly doing chop and drop because of much forage due to the much rains experienced during this reporting period. The production trees in the food forest have continued to produce well because the soils have become better in terms of fertility due to slow decomposition of the heavy mulch in the food forest from the chop and drop process. This has also led to good production of food crops grown in the food forest like the sweet potatoes and the cassavas. On the other hand, the person in charge of the gardens has constantly continued to make sure they are well tended for maxim production. Below are detailed activities during the reporting period.

DNRC FOOD FOREST

During this reporting quarter, DNRC staff in charge of the food forest was majorly involved in general maintenance of the food forest. Major activities included: Weeding, chop and drop for mulching of production trees, harvesting of fruits and food crop e.tc.  We harvested 15kgs of pawpaw, 20kgs of kunde, 5kgs of guavas, and 2kg of oranges, among others.

DNRC KITCHEN GARDEN

During the reporting quarter, the person responsible for the gardens was majorly involved with the following activities: putting up beds for new seedlings, transplanting of vegetable seedlings to planting beds, integrated pest management, watering, weeding, mulching among others. The following were harvested from the kitchen gardens over the reporting period:  Spring onions, kales, spinach, black night shade, amaranths, lemon grass, sweat pepper, carrots, and ginger among others.  

CHALLENGES

Water remains our biggest challenge and we continue to appeal for borehole.

FOCUS FOR THE NEXT QUARTER

• Continue harvesting more vegetables for consumption and for sale
• Propagate more vegetable seedlings.
• Continue managing the gardens for better harvest.
• Prepare more beds to plant more vegetables
• Tending the food forest and training more farmers of the same