Donor: Climate Justice Resilience Fund (CJRF)
Lead Partner: East African Documentary Film Fund (Docubox)
Target Group: KYAVONDA CBO
Target Households: 250
Target Area: Ikanga – Kyatune Ward, Kitui South Sub-County
Project Period: 28th October 2018 – 30th December 2021
Project Purpose: To address climate change effects through Community Based Adaptation initiatives in Kitui South Sub-County.
Key Outcomes:
- Increased water access through the 30,402 M3 earth dam excavated, protected and connected to a solar pumping system.
- 600 tree seedlings distributed and planted and 2 nursery beds with over 800 seedlings raised.
- Enhanced food security of 160 farmers through climate smart agricultute practices like conservation agriculture, ecological farming, terracing and good agronomic practices.
- A 12-Langstroth hive Bee Farm established.
- Establishment and regisration of Kyavonda CBO with 160 Members fan increment from the original Ksh 30,000 circulating in the CBO Table Banking component.
- A Community Centre under development with 3 40 ft containers converted into space for office, VSLA, ICT training, Beauty Salon and Cereal aggregation.
Strategies
- Water harvesting and moisture retention.
- Food security enhancement.
- Ecological restoration.
- Value Chain Development.
- Village savings and loans associations (VSLAs)
- Institutional Strengthening
Key Outputs
- Water Harvesting and Moisture Retention
- a 30,542 M3 capacity earth dam excavated, protected and connected to a solar pumping system and elevated tank in March 2019.
- Food Security Enhancement
- Farmer capacity building on the skills and practice of Climate Climate Agriculture (CSA) technologies like:
- Conservation agriculture
- Ecological farming
- Drought tolerant crops; green grams, sorghum, cow pea and pigeon pea.
- Establishment of a demo farm for Good Agronomic Practices training and demonstration.
- Diversification of crops, livestock and fruit trees.
- promotion of improved indegenous chicken for food and income.
- Promotion of growing fodder crops and hay preservation.
- Promotion of short term fruit trees like papaya, passion fruits and berries.
- Kitchen gardens for household vegetables utilizing local materials and waste water.
- Integration of Bee Keeping through training and a12-hive bee farm.
- Farmer capacity building on the skills and practice of Climate Climate Agriculture (CSA) technologies like:
- Ecological restoration through:
- Tree nurseries and tree planting of Melia Volkensii (Mukau), Senna spectabilis and Nandi flame species.
- Training on Ecological principles and benefits.
- Value Chain Development:
- Enterprise selection: Through a participatory process 4 enterprises were prioritized; Bee keeping, Table Banking, Tree Nurseries, and Cereal Aggregation.
- Development of business plans in line with the priority enterprises.
- Institutional Strengthening:
- Constitution making process.
- Governance structure development.
- Expansion and recruitment of new members.
- Alignment of the CBO into a business entity by converting into a Producer and Marketing Cooperative through pre-cooperative training and registration.
- Table Banking; Training on principles, benefits, management of a VSLA. Members contribute Ksh 50 weekly and loan themselves with 10% interest for meeting needs on food items, seeds, school levies and medical services.
- Exposure and Learning Tours
- 40 farmers visited Makutano Community Development Association (MCDA) for knowledge exchange and demonstration of Climate change Community-Based Adaptation Solutions.
- Gender mainstreaming especially women empowerment, child protection and youth involvement.
- Collaboration and networking.
- Involvement of Dr. Mwangi and Dr. Ndungu of SEKU School of Water Management and School of Environment respectively in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
- SEKU donated 3 40ft Containers to be converted into Community Centre and 5 Computers for the ICT training within the centre.
- Involvement of relevant County Government officers:
- Ministry of Culture, Youth and Social Services.
- Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources..
- Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Livestock.
- Ministry of Trade, Cooperative and Investment.
Kyavonda CBO in Kyatune being trained on CSA & Bee keeping
SASOL WUA’s Training Report (Jan. 21-23, 2015)
SASOL’s Land and Water Department staff members did a training needs assessment and follow-up training for the Ngunini borehole and Kwa Mboo earth dam, two of the Water User Association’s being trained through the Kenya Semi-Arid Livestock Enhancement Support project. The training was conducted on January 21- 23, 2015. Attached is the report written on the needs discovered and how the training addressed those needs. WUAs Training Report (Jan. 21-23,...
read moreTrainer’s Manual for Community Managed Water Supplies
In 2012, the UNICEF Kenya Country Office and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation Department published an in-depth Trainer’s Manual for Community Managed Water Supplies. Attached you will find the training manual. Community Managed Water Supplies Introduction: “Community managed water supply systems play a significant role in providing water services to the Kenyan public. However many community managed water supplies continue to under-perform and require support in terms of infrastructure improvement, strengthening...
read moreACT Reduce Tillage Technical Booklet
Take a look at this ACT Technical Booklet for more information on reduce tillage and the benefits for small-scale farmers. “A Guide for Farmers on Reduce Tillage: Animal Drawn Ripping Option for Smallholder Farmers” Reduce Tillage Booklet
read moreSASOL Green Grams Manual
This is a manual on Green Grams Production written by SASOL staff. Green Grams Manual Brief description: Green grams are a leguminous crop of species Vigna native to the Indian sub continent but also cultivated in hot and dry regions of southern Europe, southern united states and eastern Africa. It’s an upright bushy plant that can grow to a height of 30-120cm. the color is usually green but can also be found in sheds of black and yellow. The pods are linear sometimes curved, round slender and hairy. Green grams are nutritious source...
read moreACT: Conservation Agriculture Pamphlet
Check out this recent pamphlet from the African Conservation Tillage Network It includes introductory information on Conservation Agriculture, and provides the contact information for ACT if you would like more information. ACT CA Pamphlet
read more2013 Sand Dam Manual
In the Kituï District of Kenya the SASOL (Sahelian Solutions) Foundation began constructing sand storage dams in 1995. Since this period, over 500 sand storage dams have been constructed. These vary in size according to valley dimensions and peak flows. On average the Kituï dams are between 2-4 metres in height and around 20 metres in length.
The main advantage of the Kituï dams is that they use simple inexpensive technology and can be constructed by local communities mainly with locally-available materials. The cost of an average sand storage dam with a minimum life span of 50 years and storage of at least 2.000 m3 is about US$ 7.500. Some 40% of overall construction cost is provided by the community. They are involved in the construction of sand storage dams by provision of labour and raw materials through sand dam
management groups. After construction, these groups ensure maintenance of dams and protection of the water quality as well as promoting ownership and thus sustainability.
SASOL Presentation
This is a pictorial overview of the steps SASOL takes when building a sand dam. PowerPoint 22MB SASOL Presentation (.ppt)
read moreWelcome
Welcome to SASOL Foundation’s Library. The posts below are all available for you to peruse. Now that you are logged in you may also search the library by keyword. We hope you enjoy and if you have any feedback on it, please send it using the Contact Us form.
read moreThe Impact of Sand Dams on Community Development
Full Title: The Impact of Sand Dams on Community Development in Semi-Arid Agricultural Areas in Kenya This scholarly article is written by Wayne S. Teel based on practical interaction with the stakeholders involved in realizing the the sand dam concept. Sand Dams in Ukambani (.pdf) “South and east of Nairobi lays a land of steep hills divided by complex valleys filled with the farms of the Kamba people. As you travel from the town of Machakos, a major commercial and government center, toward Makueni the landscape alternates between dry...
read moreSASOL Strategic Planning Workshop – Sept. 6, 2009
The Sahelian Solution Foundation, SASOL, was founded in 1990 to assist Kitui communities address water scarcity through sand dam water storage technology. Over 700 sand dams have since been constructed thus creating a Water Platform which now needs strategies to realise it immense potential. SASOL identified the need to go through a Strategic Planning process to look at ways and means of assisting the Kitui communities and beyond realise the full potential of the water platform.
Washington M. Njuru, executive director of Debways Resources Systems Ltd was hired to facilitate the Board, Management and Staff of SASOL in the process of formulating their 10-Year Strategic Plan. He was aided in no small measure by G-C. M. Mutiso, the SASOL National Chair who doubled as a participant. Both are process technique consultants who have worked together in many national and international assignments.
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