Nutrition through food forests & gardens in Kenya

INTRODUCTION

DNRC is a locally registered NGO working in the drylands of Kenya.We support over 800 smallholders farmers on food and nutrition security.We are glad to share with us the quarterly report on the progress of this project of nutrition through food forest and gardens in Kenya.To achieve the goal of this project, we use best practices of  Permaculture and Agroecology concepts so as achieve both food and nutritional security, environmental health and peoples health also. During the reporting quarter, DNRC staff in charge of the food forests and organic kitchens gardens were involved in both in maintenance of both the food forest and kitchen gardens established in DNRC site and harvesting both the vegetables and the fruits for domestic and sell for income. On the other hand, DNRC training and outreach personnel were majorly doing follow-ups on the farmer’s kitchen gardens and food forests and advising them were necessary. They were also helping the newly recruited farmers to establish their kitchen gardens and food forests and old ones expand the same.Below are detailed activities done during this reporting quarter.

DNRC FOOD FORESTS

During this reporting quarter, DNRC staff  in charge of the food forest were involved in controlling diseases and pest through Integrated Pest Management (IPM), watering plants in the food forest, weeding, harvesting and manuring. Some of the vegetables and fruits harvested were pawpaw, vegetables, guavas,yellow passion,pomegranate. bananas among others. All these produce were consumed in DNRC by staff, interns and volunteers and extra sold for income.

DNRC GARDENS

During the reporting quarter, DNRC staff incharge of DNRC organic Kitchen gardens were majorly involved in management of the kitchen gardens focusing on pest and disease control through organic methods, watering both growing vegetables and vegetable nurseries, weeding, mulching,manuring,harvesting for domestic and local markets among others.Some of the grown vegetables include and not limited to:tomatoes, Kales, spinach, amaranth, cowpea, onion, coriander among others.

FARMERS ORGANIC KITCHEN GARDENS. 

DNRC training and outreach staff during this reporting period were involved in training farmers and follows at their individual farms. Some of the areas they were trained on included integrated pest management, compost making and appropriate actual planting of the vegetables.

CHALLENGES

Major challenge remain water because we work in the drylands of Kenya and water is a scarce resource.

PLANS FOR THE NEXT QUARTER  

•  Expansion of the kitchen gardens
•  Continuation of  harvesting and marketing of the produce
•  General management of both food forests and gardens at DNRC and at farmers sites