In the heart of Ngaremara Ward, Isiolo County, lies Manyatta Zebra, a small rural center occupied by the Turkana community. Agnes Nakwawi, 28 years old, the Neema group chairlady is a mother of 6 children, 2 girls and 4 boys. She lives with her six children, her husband, sister and mother-in-law. During the onset of the December 2023 heavy rainfall, Agnes and her husband decided to utilize the 1-acre piece of land they had that was adjacent to their home. Agnes got training through Neema Girl Improving Resilience through Livelihood (GIRL) Group from a mentor under the predecessor of PRIME Program; GIRL-H Program. The content of the training included business skills and exposed them to different business opportunities they could venture into as a group and individuals. She saw an opportunity out of the difficult time of getting access to different vegetables because one had to go to Isiolo town which is 24 Kilometers away or wait for market day in Corner village which is on Wednesdays. One is forced to buy fruits and vegetables to use for the whole week and sometimes it would go bad after a day or two.
After identifying that there was a gap in accessing necessary food items especially fruits and vegetables, she came up with the idea of turning her empty piece of land into a garden. “I honestly never thought about starting to farm, if I had not received the business skills training. Suddenly my eyes were open, and I envisioned a future where I could supply fruits and vegetables in the village.” Says Agnes. The community had an elevated water tank installed by Caritas Isiolo, where they could get their water from. She therefore approached the group members and got a loan of KES 20,000 from their savings; with that money she hired 4 workers at KES 7,000 and prepared the land for her since she was pregnant at the time.
She pipped water from the tank that was 1 kilometer away. She bought 5 pipes at KES 5,000 and installed them at KES 5,000 including the installation fee, and she got connected to the water system and it was easy to pump into the farm. Water was plenty because it was during the rainy season, and this was a great advantage for her.
She bought seeds for onion, kales, spinach, maize and beans and planted the seeds, unfortunately the tank’s sensor was destroyed, and she could no longer get water. However, this was not a problem because it was during the rainy season, and she used rainwater. She harvested the onions in March 2024 and got a profit of KES 2,500. She also harvested 50 Kilograms (Kg) of maize and 25 Kg of beans and got a profit of KES 5,000. Most of the spinach and kales were affected and destroyed by pests and diseases, however she harvested a few kales and spinach for domestic use. She used the money to pay some of her loan and used the rest to buy more seeds for her second round of planting. Agnes planted maize, beans, capsicum/bell pepper, pepper, kales, spinach and peas. Currently she has bell pepper that is ready for use. She sells a piece at KES 10 and also sells kales and spinach at KES 20 for 7-10 pieces depending on the size of the leaves.
“Farming has really improved our lives because my children eat a balanced diet, and we still get to sell to our neighbors who don’t have to go to Isiolo town to get vegetables. However, it is difficult to get profit from the kales and spinach because they are mostly affected by pests and diseases, and the traditional methods used to control them is not as effective.” She speaks. She was linked to the County Department of Agriculture for advice on how to control pests and diseases.
One of the greatest challenges she faces now is lack of water in the farm since the rainy season is over and the tank is not functional anymore. If she got enough water, Agnes says that she could really benefit from the farm because the community members are used to buying vegetables from her and she is optimistic of getting enough food from the farm both for domestic and commercial use.
“If only we had enough water, many people would venture into farming around here because they have now seen the importance of practicing farming. This could even lead to reduced rate of poverty and malnutrition in our community because people will consume different food and get enough nutrients.” She speaks
“The safe space sessions are helping the group members in one way or the other because, they are gaining perspective on different ways of changing their lives for the better. The members pursue different transition pathways like farming, business and joining training institutions to get skills for self-employment” says Elizabeth Ekale, the group Community Health Promoter (CHP) under the PRIME Program.
