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Home » 10.000 Orti in Africa » Kapsongwor Community Garden

Kapsongwor Community Garden

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Kenya

Rift Valley

The garden, located in Kapsongwor village, involves the Kokro Self Help Group that is composed of 32 members (18 women and 16 men) working on half an acre of land. The group was formed with the goals of learning, becoming food secure and generating income.

The garden contains both foreign and indigenous vegetables like black night shade, amaranth, spinach and sukuma wiki, a local variety of vegetable, as well as dry land food crops like cassava. To nourish the soil, compost and animal manure from the members’ homes are used, while pests are dealt with by planting pest repelling plants (companion plants) such as onions and African marigold. The group is likewise preparing for animal rearing (poultry, beekeeping and dairy goats). A number of challenges still must be addressed, such as: a lack of tools, shortage of seeds, and the destruction of crops by animals and erratic rainfall.

Area
Kapsongwor village, West Pokot country

Coordinator
Dismas Marango

Slow Food in Kenya

Kenya, the richest and most dynamic East African country, whose capital Nairobi is home to a series of major international institutions (the UN, FAO, World Bank and others), has for years embodied great contradictions and is constantly grappling with difficult challenges. These include the internal movement of people due to climate change—the extended droughts experienced over the last 30 years are becoming increasingly frequent and intense—and political instability, as well as constant pressure from multinationals on the government, pushing Kenya to focus on production for export. This is resulting in the pollution and depletion of resources, arable land speculation and the privatization and financialization of public services. In 2016 the National Assembly Committee of Agriculture confirmed a ban on GMO cultivation, but experiments continue. The main investments in the national agriculture sector, which engages around 75% of the population, are focused on specific categories (maize and grains, intensive livestock farming) and revolve around increased productivity rather than differentiated production, better environmental sustainability or the improved distribution of community goods. Slow Food has been active in Kenya since 2004 and now has a strong network working to defend local biodiversity, promote sustainable food production and responsible consumption and create links between indigenous groups, herders and farmers and producers and cooks. The association is formally registered and recognized by the government and partners with local and international organizations, public authorities, institutions and the media. Young people are involved in the Gardens in Africa project and the fight against food waste, promoting sustainable agriculture, raising awareness about threats to food sovereignty, encouraging peaceful coexistence between communities through knowledge exchanges and fostering pride in Kenyan culinary traditions. The important task of mapping foods at risk of extinction has been going on over the last few years, leading to a book on Ark products in Kenya and the launch of several Presidia, thanks to the involvement of an extensive network and collaboration with the University of Gastronomic Students. Through the Slow Food scholarship program, so far more than 10 students from the country have been able to study at the university in Italy. The Chefs’ Alliance was launched in 2016 and the Slow Travel responsible tourism initiative has started to raise awareness among consumers and visitors on local foods and initiatives and sustainable development. Blog: slowfoodkenya.wordpress.com

Garden Informations

Type:Community Garden
Surface in m2:2024
People involved:32
Slow Food Convivium:West Kenya Convivium
Coordinator:John Kariuki Mwangi
Sibling with:Bistrot del Mondo, Slow Food Scandicci Convivium, Italy

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