At least two hundred farmers in Ukambani’s Kwa Vonza area are now assured of sufficient food supply throughout the year, thanks to a new farming technology. 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 3 years ago with an objective of building the community’s capacity in dry land water harvesting for adaptive agriculture.
Speaking after touring the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) Programme Officer in charge of the project Stephen Kimani underscored the importance of such initiatives in mitigating adverse effects of climate change. “The impact of climate change is here with us and we must focus on building capacity of various communities to adopt to changing weather patterns,” said Kimani. Kimani spoke just days after Kwa Vonza was voted the best project by Diakonia in terms of bringing change to the people.
The technology was initiated in Kwa Vonza by the NCCK and her development partners as part of her drought recovery interventions due to perennial crop failure in the area. The technology was also aimed at exposing locals to water harvesting techniques for domestic consumption. On their part, the farmers expressed their gratitude to the Council for introducing the technology in the area. “The project helped me realize Ukambani is not a ‘waste land’ a notion I had since childhood,” said one of the farmers, William Mavusu. 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 technology 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. Zai pit technology has been the missing link in Kenya’s endeavor to achieve sustainable agriculture and food security for all. The sustainable agriculture technology has been used to grow bananas, sorghum, maize and millet successfully, especially in the drier parts of the country. It is a low cost sustainable agriculture and food security technology that can be applied by all farmers. The technology involves harvesting and conservation of rain run-off and soil fertility restoration.
