Boeing has partnered with the Bethel Investment Network to officially launch the Maragua Ridge Food security and Water project in Murang’a county.
This undertaking is in a quest to ensure that the community has a reliable source of water that will in turn give farmers food security through their kitchen garden and food forest initiative.
Through this partnership, about 1,000 mapped households in Murang’a County shall allocate at least ¼ acre piece of farm, where over 20 species of diversified food crops and different varieties fruit and non-fruit trees shall be planted. This plan aims to promote adaptation to climate impacts through ensuring that the varieties selected are drought resilient. The 1,000 households shall be categorized into groups of 20 to make 50 groups.
To enhance survival of seedlings in the farms, this project will ensure constant supply of piped water in all selected households. A borehole has been sunk on elevated ground and water supplied to the farms through gravity.
Two water storage tanks of 10,000 liters capacity each has been installed. This will be able to enhance continuous supply of water to the nursery seedlings community tree nursery, where agro forestry trees shall be propagated in order to enhance constant supply of seedlings shall be established. The project has supported with initial investment to procure seedlings and fencing.
This project has further put in place 10 part-time community volunteers and trainers to undertake practical training to the groups on farm management practices. The community trainers shall continuously visit the farms of their respective farmers to offer technical support and shall report on progress of each group on monthly basis outlining progress made and any challenges observed.
The trainers shall then ensure close day to day monitoring of progress of activities by constantly using daily activity monitoring tools which shall be filled in on daily basis.
Speaking during the launch, Mrs. Mary Ndung’u CEO, Bethel Investment Network said, “It is important to note that the nature of the activities of this project is not one time. Initial activities have already been rolled out that has seen mobilization of the community, problem identification and analysis, capacity building of the project beneficiaries. Over 180 households have already started adopting the technology in their individual household level.”