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Farmers in Nakuru County are utilising community seed banks established at Kiptangwani Market to preserve indigenous seeds which are considered to be at risk of becoming extinct.
Eden Indigenous Seed Farms, a community based organisation is supporting farmers in preserving the seeds while encouraging them to practice organic farming and kitchen gardening, to be food secure, while at the same time consume healthy and nutritious foods.
The organisation conducts model fossil analysis to identify the crop species that are at risk of getting extinct and obtain their seed to be stocked.
The preserved seeds are raised through organic farming methods which is considered the best model to raise viable seeds that can stay for long and maintain the characteristics of the parent crop.
The Eden Indigenous Seed Farm in Elementaita Ward in Nakuru works with over 800 farmers with 124 seed ambassadors who ensure indigenous seeds alongside other seeds are collected and preserved.
Speaking during a Seed Fair at Kiptangwani, Eden Indigenous Seed Farms founder Francis Ngiri said they mainly work with smallholder farmers who face a myriad of challenges in producing crops that can sustain them and enable them to earn an income.
During the forums, farmers showcase their preserved seeds. They also cook indigenous food for the farmers to test and appreciate diversity.
Through the Trainer to Trainer Model, the Organisation allows farmers who have been trained to cascade the knowledge to their immediate neighbours and other farmers.
Ngiri advocated for agro-ecological practices among small scale farmers and pastoral communities, while encouraging them to produce indigenous food crops organically.
He said the seed bank was the only hope to retain the endangered food species and growing neglected high-value crops such as millet and sorghum.
Ngiri expressed fears that the country was still grappling with food security challenges despite spending millions of resources and initiatives to address the ever elusive struggle to secure a meal for each and every person in the world.
Lucia Wambui, a small-scale farmer from Makongo, narrates how growing Nyakairu, an indigenous bean and other varieties of crops, has enabled her to meet her family’s needs.
Wambui has been practicing organic farming for more than five years now.
Rachael Njenga an agricultural officer stationed at Elementaita Ward said through such training small holder farmers are equipped with the skills to fully exploit the potentials of their farms in the wider goal of reducing poverty levels as well as improving food security and their general standard of living.
Njenga noted that going organic was the most sustainable way of farming because it entailed use of resources that the farmers could easily access, she said the concept offered healthy and safe food and played a role in mitigating against the effects of climate change because pesticides and other inputs with residual effects to the environment were not applied.
