The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) has been feted for her innovation and prudent use of donor funding for the ‘Kwa Vonza Food Security Project’ in Lower Eastern.
The award by Diakonia Sweden-one of NCCK’s longest bilateral partners- follows the Council’s use of technology to engage close to 300 farmers in the area, that enabled them to grow high value crops without depending on erratic rainfall that characterize many parts of Ukambani region.
NCCK beat 3 other nominees to scoop the award dubbed ‘2015 Value for Money Award’ during a workshop held in Elementaita and attended by close to 30 organizations. The annual workshop was aimed at reviewing projects funded by Diakonia Sweden in the country.
Speaking to Jumuia news, NCCK’s Senior Programmes Officer in charge of Governance Joseph Ng’etich said that the Council’s intervention in Kwa Vonza had impacted the lives of many people who were now assured of sufficient food supply. He pointed out that the Council had achieved more than any other partner given the existing parameters. Ng’etich said: “The farmer to farmer knowledge transfer worked quite well. When you go beyond donor centered food security to community driven processes,this is the way to go.”
The award ceremony was attended by Diakonia Sweden Country Manager Lucy Githaiga who thanked the Council for her efforts in transforming lives across the nation. While acknowledging NCCK’s partnership, Githaiga said:”The work that the Council did in Machakos and especially under Ni Wajibu Wetu is still outstanding. We see our strategy being evident in the way NCCK works. There is always something to celebrate about whenever we work with NCCK”.
NCCK’s Director of Programmes Susie Ibutu, officially handed over the award to the Council’s General Secretary Reverend Canon Peter Karanja. The NCCK boss commended Diakonia Sweden for the outstanding recognition of Council work.
The technology commonly known as ‘Zai Pit’ has enabled the farmers to significantly double their farm produce compared to conventional farming approaches. The technology was introduced in Kwa Vonza by the Council and her partner, with an objective of building the community’s capacity in dry land water harvesting for adaptive agriculture.
It was part of NCCK’s drought recovery interventions due to perennial crop failure in the area. Some of the crops that have been grown using the technology in Kwa Vonza include Sorghum, maize, beans cow-peas beans among others.
Zai-Pit is a sustainable agriculture and food security technology which is widely practiced in Sahel West Africa, a densely populated semi-arid region bordering the Sahara desert. It was the missing link in Kenya’s endeavor to achieve sustainable agriculture and food security for all. The technology involves harvesting and conservation of rain run-off and soil fertility restoration.
