In Kisumu West, a lush and green county in the west of Kenya, \u201ceverybody is a farmer\u201d, says Alice Nyariaro. \u201cFor the 130,000 people living in this area, farming is the backbone of the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 49-year old Home Economics training officer has been providing support to farmers in Kisumu West for many years and, thanks to her, they are now benefitting from new skills and knowledge, straight from some of the best agricultural experts in the UK.<\/p>\n
In 2017, Alice attended a leading UK agricultural college on a 10-week training course supported by the\u00a0<a href=”http:\/\/www.marshalpapworth.com\/” target=”_blank”>Marshal Papworth Fund<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was very educational. The skills I learned were very elaborate, yet easy to apply in the field,\u201d explains Alice. The farmer groups she works with have benefitted from her knowledge, applying some of the techniques Alice brought back from her course.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very impressed with soil testing, and how much it can tell us about what inputs your land needs, what will grow best etc. We have started taking soil samples and bringing them to a lab\u201d says Alice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve also started making natural compost for our vegetables, like I\u2019ve seen at Moulton College in the UK. It is improving our soil structure. We are planning to take it a step further and to start selling compost to the community,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the biggest challenges that farmers had before was that the markets were flooded. Farmers would produce whatever they could and then bring it to the market. Today, I encourage them to do market surveys in order to produce according to the demand,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n
The 10-week course was truly life-changing for Alice, who says that she has improved her communications skills and is now able to pass on her knowledge more effectively during her training sessions.<\/p>\n