YAP Proposal #46: “Eco–Village Farmers” (Paul Odiwuor Ogola, Kenya)

Background information:
My name is Paul Odiwuor Ogola, I am the director of Tangneduk Agroforest Youth Group which is an implementing organization for Ohero Eco–Village Farmers Projects Networks which are part of Lake Victoria Ecosystems, Homabay County in Western Kenya.

I’m currently 36 years old and trained as a blacksmith and later a trainer within different formal and informal sector for agricultural farm tools industry and crop production in Kenya having graduating in permaculture design course in Kisumu.

My involvements in a multiplicity of outreach works and exchange programmes later translated into local capacities to create Sustainable Human Environments at community level. Opportunities for integration within the YPARD Mentorship are hereby prioritized for replications at the local community level through our Eco –Village Farmers Projects for Agroforestry growth and Horticulture crop production.

Projects Scope:
Our organization activity set up and objectives are designed on permaculture principles of “Earth care”, and “Peoples care” to be aligned with the goals of different mentoring networks development partners working in the fields of agroforestry and horticulture farm production for income generation and quality livelihoods.

The above organization uses the smallest practical areas of pilot farms for sustainable development. Our permaculture design for environment sustainability has ensured that most of our system needs are got from the same system. Opportunities to improve produce revenue from onions, Sukuma wiki, tomato as well as sweet potatoes, built on planting of small impact forest trees for income generation, and environmental sustainability within the vast geographic locations of Rangwe and Kasipul kabondo inter-farm locations.

Our project management committee seeks to minimize environmental losses in pesticides use currently rated 25% of the overall harvest per year. Opportunities to design large impact wind breaks tree plantations at 2 meter spacing throughout 4-6 ha garden farms will act as buffer zones that is expected to reduce wildlife encroachments and increased quality and quantity outputs per year.

Our project’s inter-farm outreach development committees will identify low yielding gardens for capacity building training on market opportunities and capacity building through distribution of quality seeds and self employment creation through revolving loans per year.

Opportunities for the project’s success:
We have incorporated permaculture philosophies in working with the natural ecosystems rather than destroying the same through unsustainable land use practices in crop production and sale of surplus products for subsistence per month.

The aim is to ensure a food value chain interactions and specialization between the local producers and consumers so that all system needs from the onion/sukuma wiki farms are met from within for improved competitiveness in production and sustainable development.

Our Eco-Village Farmers Project is a source of livelihoods to a community of about 1,400 widowed young women, youths and networks development partners actively involved in horticulture crop production and agroforestry management activities per month.

We have included the participation of a majority poor, marginalized, neglected and unemployed youths integration into poverty reduction skills. on-day activity work plan in an 8 hours per week will include a 100m x 200m land size preparation for drip irrigation throughout the year.

A projected income and expenditure accounts will avail the financial position of the organization during one year.

Activity work plans on onion and Sukuma wiki production.
Step1: Fencing 100mx200m land size with organic trees within the protected area
Step 2: Inter-farm outreach training to reduce unsustainable land use practices
Step 3: Create economic buffer zones with climbing trees thickets around inter-farm gardens
Step 4: Seedbed raise for onions and sukuma wiki seedlings species propagation
Step 5: Terrace and mold board – plough across contours in dry weather for maximum soil aeration
Step 6: Garden harrowing for mature onions and sukuma wiki seedling transplanting.
Step 7: Conduct a weather forecast survey for the need to intercrop with forest tree seedlings.
Step 8: Prepare the onions gardens seedlings for weeding, and pesticide application.
Step 9: Reduce environmental losses in productivity at 25% through seed coating and pesticide applications in cool weather.
Step 10: Develop Community farm purchasing Groups for sport markets at reduced transport costs.
Step 11: Draw revenue projects to align with the socio-economic needs of the unemployed target groups youths and young women
Step 12: Monitor and Evaluate the projects outcomes from the outlining indicators of achievements for sustainability.

Capacity Statement:
Our projects management teams are knowledgeable in
– Permaculture design works for a garden onion and sukuma wiki species using the smallest practical pilot farms size for least resource inputs and maximized productivity in 12 months
– Use of organic trees for fencing around agro forest gardens instead of expensive chain link fence materials at reduced costs per month.- ٭Networking capacity of the project teams and equipment-supplier training skills
– Use of permaculture skills in accelerating succession for undergrowth tree thickets in garden fencing at reduced costs per year
– Gender sensitivity of the grassroots project implementation
– The use of energy conserving solar power and lighting lump cables at each pilot garden and at the eco-village households for security and preservation of ripe vegetative products respectively per month.
– Local skills capacities in seed coating and pesticide application technologies to Reduce environmental losses in onions and sukuma wiki productivity at 25% per year.

Measurable Indicators:
– Number of community youths trained in permaculture design works for a garden Onion & Sukumawiki per month.
– Number of acres developed for garden onion and sukuma wiki species per season.
– Number of pilot farms sizes successfully owned by individual segments of the population per season.
– Number households reached with resource inputs for maximized productivity in 12 months
– Number of agroforest gardens reached for fencing with undergrowth thicket trees per season
– Number of sustainable livelihoods created through none use of expensive chain link fence materials per plot.
– Number of family households reached for Equipment-supplier training skills
– Number of watering cans reached for nursery raising per season
– Number of seed bags and coating materials purchased for propagation activities per month
– Number of outreaches made on exchange programs to expand garden onions and sukuma wiki species per month
– Number of households technologies used in soil conservation per season
– Number of markets created for ripe vegetative products of the onions at room temperature of 32 degrees Celsius/season.

Financial plan and budget:
The projects activity implementation expenditures will be derived from outlining indicators of a achievements from onions and Sukuma wiki garden productivity and outputs in 12 months.

From end month 1 – 6: Permaculture design, training, land preparation, harrowing, seed selection/purchase distribution, and nursery raising and garden fencing for seed propagation will be enhanced at an initial expenditure of US Dollars 1,000
End month 6- month 7:Creation of sustainable livelihoods through equipment supplier-training and purchase of drip irrigation equipment with expenditure of US Dollars 2,000.
End month 7 – 8: Exchange programs in household energy conservation for an onion and sukuma wiki garden farm: US Dollars 800
End month 8 – Month 9: Cost effective expenditures in garden preparation through outreach vocational skills in apprentices for small impacts garden tools instead of agro-technical capacity equipment of the tractor: US Dollars 700.
End Month 10 – Month 12: Monitoring and evaluation of the projects activities for follow-ups: US Dollars 500.
Grand Total projects costs in 12 months: US Dollars 5000

Blogpost and picture submitted by Paul Odiwuor Ogola (Kenya) – paulodiwuor1980(at)gmail.com

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