| ID: | 76812 |
|---|---|
| Country: | Kenya |
| Title: | Kenya - Upper Tana Catchment Natural Resource - October 2022 |
| Description: |
Shelmith Wambui is a farmer in Gatanga, Muranga county in Kenya. She ventured into farming because her business was heavily affected by the changes that happened when COVID-19 hit. She has a family of five which she had to provide for and her elderly parents needed a caregiver. She decided to move from the city and relocate to their farmland. Her responsibility changed to being the primary provider for a family of 7 through the only resource available, the farmland. Her biggest challenge was finding water, not only for cultivation but also for domestic use. The nearest water source was River Thika, which is about 5 km away from their residence. On average the farm and domestic water usage required at least 10 trips of 20-Liter jerry cans per day. The trips were time intensive and very exhausting in addition to her daily chore. Due to climate change, the weather patterns have become erratic, this meant that she could not rely on the rainy season and most of the time the land remained bare. Thankfully, she was selected as a beneficiary of the Water Fund program. She was facilitated in installing a water pan on her farm which consequently collected rainwater and provided a water source right in her compound. She now has to walk a few paces to retrieve water for her domestic and farm uses as opposed to the 10km daily trek. She is relieved that the water pan has saved her time. She also received training on the water requirements for different plants. She has also managed to farm vegetables which she uses for family sustenance and sells the excess to her neighbors. She plans on saving the money she would have used to buy food and start a shop to increase her income while providing supplies for her community. She now enjoys spending more quality time with her family and making a living through her farm. The goal of Upper Tana Catchment Natural Resource Management Project is to contribute to the reduction of rural poverty in the Upper Tana River catchment through increased sustainable food production and incomes for poor rural households, as well as sustainable management of natural resources. The project has three main components; Empowering communities to sustainably manage natural resources by building their capacity to develop resource management plans while also improving their livelihoods, Sustainably improving the incomes and living standards of the target group through interventions that are beneficial to the management of the natural resource base and Improving the sustainable management and use of water and other natural resources. The target area for the project is the Upper Tana catchment, covering 6 of Kenya's 47 counties. Around 205,000 poor rural households – including smallholder crop and livestock farmers, agro-pastoralists, fishers and rural traders – are expected to benefit from the initiative, which features a special focus on women, young people and other vulnerable groups. |
| Size: | 16.96 MB; 5472 x 3648 pixels; 463 x 309 mm (print at 300 DPI); 1448 x 965 mm (screen at 96 DPI); |
| Show more details: | Translieu/ Samuel Nyaberi |
| Copyright: | ©IFAD/Translieu/Samuel Nyaberi |
| Categories: | New from East and Southern Africa |
| URL: | www.ifad.org |
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