Moringa to support Kenyan farmers health & wealth

Introduction

Warm greetings from Drylands Natural Resources Centre (DNRC). We hope you’re all well and happy spirits. We are happy to share with you our progress report on Moringa to support Kenyan farmers healthy and wealth. We continue to work with our 800 farmers to achieve our goals of environmental regeneration, community social strengthening and economic development and growth. The trees we have been planting over the years have largely contributed to the environmental regeneration in terms of building the soils, increasing ground cover thus increasing water retention as well as creating micro climates which has made our area much cooler compared to other places where people have not planted trees . Moringa is one of agro forestry trees we have been promoting. Apart from the environmental regeneration role as an agro forestry tree, it’s a nutritional supplement as well as a source of income for the famers. Farmers sell Moringa seeds for income and also use it for nutritional supplement. The market for moringa continues to grow and currently DNRC is supplying an external market with moringa seeds and market will just get better. Thanks again for your kind support.

During the reporting quarter, we were busy sourcing moringa seeds from the farmers so as to supply the 1000kg order. We also continued propagating more moringa seedlings for farmers to increase their acreage and processing more moringa leave powder.

Below are detailed activity during the reporting quarter.

Propagating more moringa seeds.

During the reporting quarter, we propagated 6,000 moringa seedlings which are now being taken care of in the tree nursery to be issued to the farmers immediately October-December rains come.

Sourcing moringa seeds for ongoing order of 1000kgs

During this reporting period, the person in charge of moringa completed sourcing for the 1000kgs order, defeathered the seeds and delivered them. We got another order of the same and now we are in the process of sourcing more seeds from the farmers.

Processing moringa powder

Moringa is a deciduous tree, this being a dry spell, it has shade most of its leaves. With the few leaves around, we managed to process 5kgs of moringa powder.

Trainings and follow ups

During the reporting period, farmers were trained on how to tend moringa trees for more production as well as advised to plant more trees. The major activity during this reporting period is hole preparations to plant more moringa trees during October-December rains.

Challenges

Reliable water source remains our major challenge for expanding projects.

Focus for next quarter.

• Maintain the seedlings in the nursery
• Source more seeds to meet the current order.
• Issue moringa with other seedlings to the farmer
• Do more trainings and follow ups to make sure all the farmers have dug holes and ready to plant more.