Kenyan Farmer Trains Others in Agricultural Skills, Peace Keeping
Result: Kenya Maize Farmers Find Productivity, Incomes Rise Despite Displacement
The town of Nyahururu in western Kenya is Laurenco Njoroge’s home. Its citizens rely on maize as a staple food crop and major source of income, and Njoroge, a community mobilizer called a "promoter" for ACDI/VOCA’s Kenya Maize Development Program (KMDP), plays a key role in strengthening this vital sector.
Njoroge (pictured at left) also serves his community by helping to heal wounds from the conflict that followed the 2007 presidential election in Kenya.
Conflict Displaces Many Kenyan Farmers
The post-election violence displaced thousands of Kenyan farmers and led to the destruction of large stocks of maize. To escape the conflict, more than 15,000 farmers from the Rift Valley settled in Nyahururu. As internally displaced persons (IDPs), the farmers struggle with many issues, including crime and unemployment, which especially afflict young people.
Through ACDI/VOCA’s Kenya maize program, Njoroge works to address these various problems.
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Laurenco Njoroge in his shop where he offers inputs to Kenyan Maize Development Program farmers. Photographer: ACDI/VOCA-Kenya |
Training Builds Farmers’ Skills, Community Stability
Njoroge supports his family by running a small shop that provides inputs and services to maize farmers in the region.
His shop is a full-time job, but he still manages to find time to train farmers in the “power of attitude change,” ACDI/VOCA’s Farming as a Family Business methods, post-harvest handling and grain care, marketing and market linkages, and mobilization and distribution of resources. He also provides training in peace building, organizing mobile clinics and counseling victims of violence.
To foster hope and long-term stability, Njoroge and other promoters work with the KMDP staff to integrate young people into farm enterprise building and encourage the older generation to transfer some of the decision making and profit sharing to young people, who make up a growing percentage of farm labor.
Better Maize Yields, Incomes Result
Njoroge has seen his efforts bear fruit. Despite the setbacks the farmers of Nyahururu have suffered, their situation has improved.
The farmers pooled their resources and bought 50 acres of land for farming, and they are taking advantage of the KMDP training to grow maize better and develop skills to build a new life.
Since the ACDI/VOCA program began, it has helped Kenya’s maize yields increase fourfold and farmers’ net earnings have grown significantly.
Njoroge is gratified that his work has helped increase incomes and food security in his community as well as contribute to peace and stability. Thanks to his efforts and the work of KMDP staff, the farmers of Ngorika region have a chance to recover from violence and displacement and build a better future.
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