Investing in families opens up markets
Large-scale investment in Farmer Field Schools in Kenya helps expand farmers’ knowledge and increase their incomes
Esther Kyalo participates in a Farmer Field School in Kitui county, Kenya. Assisting farmers in developing their businesses, farmer field schools are an integral part of Kenya’s National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project, financed by the World Bank and designed and implemented with the support of FAO’s Investment Centre.
©FAO/Peter Safari
For a few months now, Esther Munani Kyalo’s routine has changed. A mother of three living in the Miambani ward in Kitui county, Kenya, she has followed a new ritual every Tuesday since the Kavakaky Farmer Field School was launched. Together with around 35 other women from her area, she walks to a nearby house where the group meets and breeds chicks in the small but brand-new poultry house.
Sitting under a large mango tree, surrounded by the beautiful hills of this area, the community gathers to discuss, observe, learn and make decisions to improve their husbandry practices.
A few kilometres from there, Josphat Muthui Kangata starts his day with a tea, before tending to his crops, goats, and for a few months now, bees.
A few plastic chairs behind the house of the 72-year-old farmer accommodate a group of honey producers every Friday. Facilitated by Ruth Kavinya, a community-based farmer, the sessions’ objective is to improve the quality and quantity of the honey they produce.