With Kenyan farmers being hit hard by the drought in recent months, the government’s main actions have been reactive on a large scale. And there’s little proactive work being done to mitigate the effects of drought or to ensure that farmers build resilience against future weather shocks.
In Machakos county, the farmers, seeing the governments inaction, have decided to take the future into their own hands.
Farmers using ecological farming methods, have triumphantly dealt with drought. They have seen their fellow farmers, who used chemical fertilisers, struggle with failed crops and depleted land. Today, these ecological farmers have decided they want to help!
Together with ICE, these ecological farmers are connecting with fellow farmers to teach them which tips, tricks and techniques which are key in facing extreme weather conditions. They will also be distributing agro-forestry seedings to help farmers as the new planting season starts.
ICE will work with farmers in the hard hit county of Machakos in Matungulu, Masinga and Yatta Sub-counties reaching out to 180 small-holder farmers as direct beneficiaries.
The President’s recent nation address pushes forward an agenda that fails farmers but secures profit for big agriculture companies. These local farmers, along with ICE and Greenpeace Africa, will highlight the short and longterm benefits of a shift to ecological farming.
They will thereby call on our leaders to focus and fund ecological farming, for it is the way forward for Kenya’s future.