Improve livelihoods in targeted drought-affected communities in Kenya

The project objective was to improve livelihoods in targeted drought-affected communities in Mwingi District of Kenya. 

This outcome was achieved through three outputs: 

• food security information and early warning systems established in targeted districts;
• increasing the resilience of vulnerable communities; 
• and increasing access to HIV and AIDS services among the targeted agropastoralist communities.

• 128 beneficiaries were trained in food security information and early warning systems.
• 2 181 received training and assistance to increase their resilience and livelihoods.
• 2 400 received training and increased access to HIV and AIDS services.

The main implemented activities are:

• Vouchers for food (and to a lesser extent household assets) were distributed to members of 44 FFLSs (about 1 452 households or 7 260 individuals), totalling USD 140 000 or USD 96 per household.
• Through voucher for work activities, 1 931 households constructed 97 850 kilometres of soil and water conservation structures, thereby conserving 1 200 acres of land.
• Land husbandry knowledge improved among 44 FFLSs and 20 JFFLSs.
• Income generation enterprises were identified and developed for 480 people living with HIV/AIDS who were too sick or weak to engage in agricultural activities.

The main positive impacts of the project were:

• FFLSs proved to be a powerful organizational structure for promoting social capital, inclusion and gender equality.
• The role of women in community life was strengthened (71 percent of the established groups’ memberships are women).
• Communities’ knowledge, attitudes and practices on HIV and AIDS were enhanced.
• The early warning drought/food insecurity system was strengthened.

Main difficulties during the project implementation: 

• Drought was a major issue during the project implementation period. Post-harvest handling activities such as aflatoxin awareness campaigns and promotion of metal silo technology could not take place, as there was a complete crop failure during the short rains of 2010 and the long rains of 2011.
• Delays in farm input support/learning materials owing to logistical challenges affected the output from the JFFLS demonstration plots. Owing to this delay, some of the activities planned by the partners spilled over to 2012 beyond the project period.
• HIV related stigma remained high in the project area. This coupled with low knowledge of their HIV status among individual community members resulted in fewer people enrolling in FFLS as PLWHA.
• Local construction materials (hard core) and water were not easily available in some of the dam sites and had to be ferried from long distances.

Lessons learned:

• The voucher-for-food/asset approach is more effective than traditional cash-for-work for linking emergency aid with rehabilitation and sustainable development. Vouchers help farmers boost food security and improve their assets by working on farm or community projects.
• Farmer Field and Life Schools (FFLSs) have proven effective in promoting social capital, inclusion, and gender equality, but they should evolve into stronger Farmers' Associations with better savings and micro-credit systems. Directly granting funds to FFLS groups, where local markets are functional, could streamline processes and enhance local economies.
• The project’s approach to HIV and AIDS focused primarily on health education, neglecting nutritional issues and broader health concerns like child malnutrition and malaria. A more holistic wellness approach is recommended.
• The project should integrate indigenous knowledge of the Akamba people into agricultural practices and resource management, and strengthen community-based early warning systems.