The Agriculture Program

For several years after his first contact with Kenya in 1997, John Willingham and other volunteers have worked in Oyugis on the many projects. A central fact that became increasingly evident was that the farms in the area simply did not produce enough to sustain the families that farmed them. John and the Hearts for Kenya volunteers found the reasons for the poor crop yield were: use of old seed from the previous year, lack of nutrients in the soil, a lack of means to adequately prepare the fields, a lack of money to buy new seed or fertilizer, and a lack of knowledge of modern farming methods.

The repeated use of in-bred seed resulted in crops that were stunted and vulnerable to disease and weeds. The soil, depleted of nutrients by thousands of years of over-cropping, was too poor to sustain even a stand of crops grown from good quality seed. These problems could not be remedied without new seed and fertilizer. But the Oyugis farmers could not make full use of seed and fertilizer because they had no tractors or draft animals and plows with which to plow and till their fields.

Because of this critical dilemma, Hearts for Kenya began an agriculture program in late 2005. Hearts for Kenya bought eight bulls and four plows for 36 farmers to begin preparing their fields for the first 2006 crop. In February 2006, with hybrid seed and fertilizer supplied by Hearts for Kenya, the first crop was planted. With Hearts for Kenya continuing to provide seed and fertilizer, the agricultural co-op will plant its seventh crop in February 2009 with 80 farmers.

These 80 farmers constitute the maximum number that Hearts for Kenya set for this first group. Hearts for Kenya’s goal in the beginning was just to enable these farmers to feed their families. Yields increased from 297 lbs./acre to 1,263 lbs./acre in just two years. Not only are the farmers now able to feed their families, but they are also able to sell some produce at market. Their profits enable them to contribute to the purchase of the next supply of seed and fertilizer as well as to buy some necessities for their families.

Hearts for Kenya’s second goal was to start a co-op with these farmers so that, through economies of scale, they could reduce their expenses and increase their profits, enhancing their chance to become self-sufficient. The co-op, which has been named the Bakers Community Development Project, is now a reality. Kennedy Odhiambo Oguta, an Oyugis farmer, serves as chairman and is very active and conscientious in his role. The co-op farmers are already bringing a small portion of their crop to the co-op and selling it to contribute to the purchase of the seed and fertilizer that Hearts for Kenya supplies.

Hearts for Kenya’s present goal for the agricultural program is for all 160 farmers now in the co-op activities to become fully self-sufficient by December 2013. To reach this goal, Hearts for Kenya will need to continue teaching good farming practices and supplying ample seed and fertilizer. Once this goal is accomplished, Hearts for Kenya can then start again with a new group of farmers.

The economy of Oyugis is almost exclusively agricultural. There are very few jobs, so most families must farm to avoid starvation. Schools have no money to feed the students during the school day. Most schools, however, do have some tillable land. Hearts for Kenya capitalized on the availability of this land by starting an agriculture program in the schools for the older children. They use the school land to plant the crops and to teach the class. The school then uses the produce to feed the children one meal a day. This program has proven very effective and has been incorporated into the Bakers Community Development Project.

The Tree Nursery Program

The Tree Nursery program was initiated to supply four important needs:

• cooking fuel
• lumber
• dietary fruit
• soil stability

As they have done for several millennia, the Oyugans cook over open fires. The firewood comes from local trees. There is not a viable, affordable fuel alternative. The local trees also serve as the Oyugans’ sole source of lumber. Although their primary building materials are sticks, mud and sun-baked bricks, lumber is in constant demand. The use of trees for firewood and construction takes a continual toll on the local timber. Local trees also serve as the sole source of nearly all dietary fruit consumed by Oyugis families. Although the fruit trees are not actively destroyed, they do become depleted simply as a result of their natural life cycles.

The tree nursery serves to replenish the supply of firewood, lumber, and dietary fruit. In addition, it serves as a source of trees for planting along the local riverbank to stabilize the soil. Without stabilization, soil erosion along the Oyugis River causes a significant loss of farmland.

Although the cost of creating and maintaining the tree nursery has been modest by the standards of affluent societies, it was not affordable to the Oyugans before Hearts for Kenya’s assistance. The nursery requires only about a third of an acre. A simple irrigation system is the only improvement. The trees are started from seeds that are available in Oyugis, and they are harvested as whips (18” to 24” tall seedlings.) About half of the trees in the nursery are fruit trees -- primarily mango, passion fruit and orange. Most of the remainder are blue gum, a leafy evergreen hardwood that is the favored wood for use in local construction. The initial expense to start the nursery was less than $2,000. All labor in establishing and maintaining the nursery has been provided through Hearts for Kenya. Enough whips are sold each year to meet the annual operating expenses of less than $50.00.

The tree nursery is now self-sufficient. Hearts for Kenya’s goal for this program has been met.