Sustainable agriculture for food security

At ACLAD, we strive to ensure that families in every community always have access to sufficient and nutritious food. We partner with Bio-Gro USA to enhance community resilience in food security through care and restoration of the environment. This investment in the agricultural sector not only addresses hunger and malnutrition but also enables communities to experience greater food security, increase incomes and maintain sustainable food production through maximization of land use, appropriate farming technologies and use of organic fertilizers as well as suitable animal husbandry for small scale farmers.

The experience of greater food security is in response to the second UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. This SDG recognizes the interconnection between several aspects such as supporting sustainable agriculture while tackling climate change, empowering small-scale farmers and ending rural poverty as well as promoting gender equality and ensuring healthy lifestyles. In addition, SDG 2 integrates the three aspects of sustainable development which are economic growth, environmental protection and social inclusion that involves partnerships among different actors. Strengthening the livelihoods of people and empowering rural people to become vital agents of change can lay the groundwork to ensuring that no one is left behind.

Since January 2020, ACLAD has been enhancing sustainable conservation agriculture skills among communities in Western Kenya by providing insight training and practical conservation agriculture practices like minimal tillage, use of compost manure and fertilizers, cover crops and appropriate user-friendly technology. In addition, the use of technologies like the jab planter encourage communities to set up conservation agriculture demonstration gardens where they collectively put theory into practice. This has resulted in better agronomy practices and subsequent increase in yield and uptake of conservation agriculture practices, which has led to some degree of food security. When individuals are properly nourished, children are able to learn and concentrate on their studies, adults can lead healthy and productive lives and then families and whole societies can prosper.

As the year draws to a close, we are working with households in Kakamega County to start up sustainable pig farming as part of livelihood enhancement. Training of groups is on-going as they put up structures for the boars and sows, which the group members will receive early in 2021- a gift that keeps on giving.  We partner with like-minded organizations, community groups and individuals to realize sustainable socio-economic development. With your support, we can enhance agribusiness and conservation agriculture practices in the communities, thereby improving their livelihoods.

Catherine Muteithia

ACLAD Media Consultant