Helping Hands

Hope in the face of Kyuso

This is my visit to various farmers in Kyuso district in Eastern province of Kenya. In different farms I was able to meet different farmers whom I was able to share a lot with them. Most farmers in the area are growing millet which does well in the area though water shortage has failed them. They also grow sorghum and cassava. The problem of climate change has made the people in the community to form groups which they help each other in the farm activities. A part from the farm activities they also share different information and technology on how they may improve their farming activity. Most of the group says they get their information from the NGOs for example the Kyuso Maarifa Centre which is hosted by the ALIN and Action Aid among others.

 I was able to visit some groups for example ‘Kiambithi Kya Muthanga’, which means secret of soil group, Kangoongo Dam Group, Mirimani Farmers Group, Upenyo Women Group. In these groups I was very much impressed by the hope that their faces expressed. Beside the luck of rain for a long time in the area they still have the hope of going on with their farming activities and hope that they rains will come soon that no one knows. Due this experienced of luck of rainfall for several months, some of the community groups for example ‘Kiambithi Kya Muthanga group’ has decided to opt to move out of the growing of crops and now are planting trees especially the Mukau(Mellia volkensii) tree which is a deciduous tree that is adapted to the dry areas.

Most of the farmers in the area have adapted to the new technology of farming especially that of water harvesting. The farmers use terraces for water harvesting for their farms. This has enabled them to go on with their farming activity despite the luck of rainfall.