Urban Farm Demonstration and Training Center - Kenya

This activity serves small acreage farmers who produce 80% of the food supply in Kenya. Its mission is to empower these farmers to increase their efficiency and yield and demonstrate how to increase profits with sustainable and ecological solutions.

Fast facts:

The Urban Farm Association of Kenya has 30,000 members, at least 10,000 of whom will obtain training at the Urban Farm Demonstration and Training Center;
Through various trainings like the introduction of fodder systems for increased milk production, aquaponics and organic compost production, farmers could earn an average income of USD 1,000 annually;
This activity aims to create 15 full-time and 100 part-time positions, at least 85% of employees will be under the age of 35 and the majority will be women.

The problem

Kenya is facing food production and food security challenges due to rapid population growth, mismanaged land distribution and uncertain climate conditions exacerbated by climate change.

The solution

The Urban Farm Demonstration and Training Center will empower both urban and rural farmers to learn new and innovative best practices in urban farming methodologies. These include aquaponics, hydroponics, increase in cow and goat milk production using barley and maize fodder mixes, composting, biogas harnessing/usage and organic pesticide and permaculture. The introduction of fish ponds and poultry rearing at schools will help communities mitigate and adapt to climate change. By demonstrating systems and providing the requisite training and support, this activity will enable farmers to generate income while producing quality products.

Helping the planet

The Urban Farm Demonstration and Training Center aims to address climate change, urban migration, soil degradation, population increase and pollution. Aquaponics combines growing fish and plants in a controlled environment. It relies on fish waste to provide organic food and nutrients for plant growth. The plants clean the water that is recycled back to the fish. Consequently, there is low water use and waste. Pollution, pesticides, and use of chemicals are drastically reduced in these systems. Hydroponics is concerned with growing plants without soil and is the plant production part of the aquaponics system. Hydroponics is exceedingly efficient utilizing 10% of traditional open field agriculture. When practiced under greenhouses, the climate risk is reduced tremendously.

Helping people

Low to middle income households are the primary beneficiaries of the trainings and related services, particularly those with greenhouses and a small plot of land. They are promoting the idea of new, affordable, sustainable solutions in controlled environments that are not subject to climate change. Traditional Kenyan farmers are stereotyped as unskilled and uneducated. This activity aims to change the perception of farmers by upgrading their knowledge and skills. This will be particularly appealing to youth who wish to use their expertise locally and internationally. Increased knowledge and technical skills will provide employment opportunities abroad. Furthermore, such valuable skills will enable them to engage in research and collaborative endeavours.

Scaling Up

The scope for the market and demand for systems will likely increase given the documented impact of urban farming in the economy, the significant growth of urban dwellers, concerns about food security, the impact of climate change and the increasing need for biodiversity.
This activity expects about 100,000 participants over a period of six years to visit the Urban Farm Demonstration and Training Center for seminars and daily site visitations.