Moringa to support Kenyan farmers health & wealth

INTRODUCTION

Receive much greetings from Drylands Natural Resources Centre (DNRC) family. We continue to implement our vision of developing sustainable and resilient communities in the drylands. We are achieving this by sharing the best practices and delivering effective program related and not limited to: agroforestry, agro ecology, permaculture, dryland resource management and culture regeneration. Our efforts are bearing fruits and we continue to improve livelihoods of the communities and people living at Makueni County where we work. Our agroforestry practice is one of our main activities and adapted by our farmers. We raise over 100,000 diverse tree species which are issued to the farmers to plant in their farms. (agroforestry). Among the many diverse species, Moringa Oleifera is one of the trees we have been promoting and has many benefits ranging from soil building, immune booster as well as a source of income from either sale of the seeds for oil or moringa leave powder. Over the years, our over 860 small holder farmers have continued to plant moringa tree. Initial trees have matured and they are producing seeds. So farmers continue to benefit from sale of moringa seeds and or moringa leave powder. Our farmers continue to enjoy health by consuming moringa fresh leaves as vegetables or drying them under shade for powder and use the powder in foods. The excess powder is sold to domestic markets for income. The seeds are also sold for moringa oil.

During this reporting period, the following activities were carried out by DNRC staff: Moringa seed sourcing for external market, finalising propagating more moringa seeds to be planted by our farmers and issuing the same seedlings to the farmers who planted in October-December rains.

Below are detailed activities during the reporting quarter.

PROPAGATION OF MORINGA SEEDLINGS

During this reporting period, we managed to propagate 14,256 Moringa seedlings which have been given to our farmers who continue to plant this October-December rains.

MORINGA SEE SOURCING/AGGREGATION FROM THE FARMERS

During this reporting period, we managed to source over 1000kg moringa seeds for LUSH Cosmetics ltd who are buying our seeds for moringa oil. We continue to look for more external market

CHALLENGES

Since DNRC has no permanent water source, water has been and continue to be our biggest challenge especially this time we wish to keep expanding our trees nursery.

PLAN FOR THE NEXT QUARTER

• Propagate more moringa seedlings to issue during March – April 2024 rainy season.
• Continue with training and outreach to our farmers on agroforestry
• Moringa leave powder processing