Weru TV caption on IAS Work Media Highlight of IAS training activities in Tharaka Nithi, for farmers and partners on methods of harvesting rain, preparing water pans and sustainable farming . More →
Want to share our work?
Kenya4Resilience Project Launch in Tana River County
Tree planting by the IAS K Country Director, Mary Githiomi and Mr. Jarha, The Secretary, County Government of Tana River, during The Kenya4Resilience Consortium Launch at Wenje Village in Kinakomba Ward. Other Tana River County officials were also present including the Chief Officer – Special Programs, The Deputy Director- Agriculture, Ward Administrators, MCAs, Chiefs, Headmen amongst others. Photo Credits: Dafu Omar – IAS K -Tana River Project Office
David Njeru
David Njeru presents one of the success stories we garnered from the field. A young man who has had taste of hunger, and vowed not to ever go hungry again, after getting support from IAS. This turned him to a helper and a donor as well, who will freely give food items to those who are hungry, from his farm.
Manyirani Farmers Water Project
Location: Tharaka
A trip to Tharaka Nithi today, would be filled with pleasant sights. One would see farmlands bursting at the seams with leafy vegetables and an abundance of fruits. Ten years ago, this picturesque beauty was not as it is today. This food basket in the rough was dry and bare. In-fact a trip to Tharaka Nithi in 2007 would leave one bewildered by the dryness and poverty. Thorny bushes and occasional sparsely scattered vegetables would be seen during the three-hour trip.
Tharaka Nithi, in Eastern Kenya, is tucked away from Nairobi by about 187 kilometers and is semi-arid. In Kenya, arid lands were dismissed as unproductive because of the tough climatic conditions that include high temperatures and low rainfalls. Ten years ago, the communities were convinced that farming was impossible in Tharaka Nithi. In-fact they heavily relied on food relief for their daily food supplies like other Arid communities in Kenya.
The IAS Kenya projects team realized, however, that food relief was not a lasting solution. Food relief only solved one solution- food for a few months. Besides water scarcity, the community faced other glaring challenges- they did not have regular income and could not afford to take their children to school.
The projects team sat with the community and pondered over the myriad problems in Tharaka Nithi. They all agreed that water scarcity was the root cause and agreed that an abundant plus readily available water supply could provide a lasting solution to the erratic and unreliable weather patterns.
“We tapped water from the nearest river and stored it in an in-take structure. We then built a pipe from the structure that supplied water to farms and households in Tharaka Nithi. Swedish Mission Council (SMC) later came in and funded the second intake structure to increase the amount of water so more farmers could irrigate their farms. We thank the community members, funding partners and government officials. The government county leaders were instrumental because they trusted us to not only provide water but restore hope in the hearts of the people of Tharaka Nithi”, adds Mary Githiomi, the Executive Director of International Aids Service, Kenya.
Kale, spinach, papaya, banana, sweet potatoes and maize are some of the crops thriving in East African’s drylands. Initially these crops could not be grown without irrigation in the region, however, these crops are currently being farmed under the drip irrigation system.
I have adopted modern methods like drip-irrigation and applying fertilizers to my crops, a skill I was not knowledgeable about before attending trainings organized by International Aid Services (IAS) Kenya. We have also been trained on team-work, management, conducting market surveys, among others”, shares Henry Gitonga a farmer from Tharaka Nithi.
“Before this water project, the nearest river was 5kms away. We had limited food supplies and malnutrition was prevalent. We also struggled to pay our children’s school fees. Food relief, provided by the government and NGOs was restricted to families in dire situations. With the abundance of water from the in-take, we now grow crops that provide food for our family’s daily meals and we even sell the surplus.
This had helped us get money to send our children to school and build our homes using bricks and mortar. We have been mobilized to form cooperatives to make selling our produce easier. We thank International Aid Services (IAS) Kenya for supporting our community”, he adds. The cottage-industry is another business made possible by the provision of water.
Members of the industry are Tharaka Nithi women’s’ group, a thriving local cooperative. The industry employs 52 women and mentors 52 young girls. A variety of products like hand-weaved baskets are made and sold even as far as Sussex, United Kingdom. This business accounts for 1200 USD on average every 2 months. The women have an innovative juice business that produces liters of fresh fruit juice all-year round especially during the hot seasons. Their secret is extracting and storing the fruit pulp! The pulp is later used to produce fresh thirst-quenching mango and baobab juice. This too provides additional incomes.
Tharaka Nithi is a model community and inspires other semi-arid communities to adopt its model. IAS Kenya launched a new phase of the project in January 2020 and also expanded to Tharaka
The wonders, beauty and development in Tharaka Nithi county are hinged on the abundance of water. If IAS-Kenya did not listen to the community and partner with them to develop a lasting solution, ten years later, Tharaka Nithi would not the food basket it is today!
Kianda Cereals Producers is a Community Based Organization (CBO) with a membership of 423 through 19 member groups and operating in Maragwa Location, Tharaka North Sub County of Tharaka Nithi County.
IAS K mostly works with or through local partners with the aim of strengthening their capacity to support development initiatives while still advocating for the least privileged in their society. IAS K has been able to capacity build over 10 CSOs over a period of time to be strong advocates for the least privileged and has continued to train over 100 stakeholders to be able to support development initiatives. This ensures ownership and sustainability.
“Laughter is brightest in the place where the food is.”
— Irish Proverb
The CBO has been in partnership with IAS K since January 2017 implementing a resilience water project in Kamwathu Sub Location, Maragwa Location with support from Swedish Mission Council (SMC). Through the partnership, four mechanical excavated water pans have been realized with over forty manual made water pans in place and more than two hundred farmers having developed their capacities through various training which enabled the CBO become vibrant and strong advocates for development and good will in continuous partnership.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.