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Home » 10.000 Orti in Africa » Karirikania Family Garden

Karirikania Family Garden

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Kenya

Rift Valley

The garden is located in Karirikania village, Nakuru country. It belongs to Mr. and Mrs. Mwangi who are also members of the Stinging Nettle Presidia and Karirikania Community Garden. They cultivate their half acre of land as a way to practice sustainable agriculture and to produce food for their family. They grow a wide range of crops including: rosemary, potatoes, onions, sukuma wiki, which is a local variety of vegetable, spinach, beetroots, stevia, sweet potatoes, cabbage, maize, castle oil, zucchini and stinging nettle. They also grow fruits such as tree tomatoes, avocadoes and passion fruit. Sustainable methods are used to fertilize the soil, including the use of compost and animal manure. They fight and control insects and pests with a liquid mixture made from mexicana marigold, pyrethrum, stinging nettle, Vernonia auriculifera (muchatha) and mwenu. Onions are also intercropped among the cabbages and sukuma wiki to repel insects and pests. The produce is consumed by the family and whatever remains is sold to the villagers to generate income. Tree nursery is also practiced to increase the number of the trees in the farm and for income generation purposes.

Area
Karirikania village, Kuresoi district, Nakuru country

Coordinators
Salome Njeri, Patrick Mwangi

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 m2:2023
People involved:20
Slow Food Convivium:Central Rift Convivium
Coordinator:Samuel Karanja Muhunyu
Sibling with:Slow Food Valdichiana Convivium, Italy

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