The world is constantly facing many challenges, such as an ever-growing population, climate change, and the depletion of its natural resources. These challenges require us to devise sustainable solutions for future generations. Therefore, the future of sustainable farming practices lies in empowering aspiring farmers with skills and knowledge.
Aspiring and new farmers face significant challenges, from environmental to knowledge and skill gaps. Mentorship and the adoption of activities that align with nature are crucial. It is equally important to nurture and equip them with the know-how to be change-makers.
So, to begin with, how do we empower the next generation of farmers?
1. Education & Farmer Training: The cornerstone of empowerment
Knowledge is key to everything. We have offered students the chance to intern with us for some time. This experience teaches them about organic permaculture, sustainability, and environmental conservation. We mentor them using various learning styles as they work alongside our experienced staff. The main goal is learning by doing.
In addition to internships, we also provide mentorship to farmers. We offer permaculture training to enable the farmers to learn about sustainable practices. These practices include:
- soil health
- water conservation
- Companion Planting
- Waste Minimization
- Renewable Energy, among others
Check out our programmes page to learn more about these practices.
2. Farm Tours
At Ambokili Farm, we share our expertise by offering guided farm tours. We are open to receiving visitors who are curious about what we do, and this opportunity allows you to experience our farm first-hand. Led by our knowledgeable team, you can explore our thriving ecosystems and innovative systems like our solutions for water harvesting.
During this tour, you will discover our regenerative techniques and how we apply permaculture to maximize productivity and reduce waste. You also get the opportunity to get your hands dirty by participating in activities like seed planting, vegetable harvesting, block pressing, or compost making.
Community-based learning
This approach enables our workers to learn about sustainable practices and replicate the same techniques at home on their farms. The people of Kimana, as we all know, are pastoralists. However, most are adapting to the challenging situations and are now resorting to farming. Since this is a community with a pastoralist background, many have limited experience when it comes to crop cultivation. That’s why we introduced permaculture, which integrates livestock into our farming systems. For instance, why not use animal manure as fertilizer instead of harmful pesticides? We can also improve soil health by practicing rotational grazing.
Regenerative Farming
Our mission at Ambokili Farm is to restore damaged land into thriving ecosystems. Through our regenerative practices, we empower farmers to restore degraded land. Our case study on how we managed to restore over 9 acres of land in a semi-arid region provides valuable techniques for aspiring farmers. We faced numerous challenges, from water scarcity and erosion with deep gullies to limited resources. What was once degraded land is now a thriving ecosystem providing healthy crops and trees. There was a lot of dedication, hard work, and innovative techniques to make this work.
The key benefits to regenerative farming are that:
It improves soil health. The way to increase crop yields is by increasing soil fertility and improving water infiltration. This makes it more resilient to drought. Farmers must adopt
- No-tillage -This minimizes disturbance in the soil and helps preserve the soil’s structure.
- Composting- Organic waste is nutrient-rich and supports healthy soil, thus promoting plant growth.
- Cover cropping- Planting crops during the off-season protects the soil
- Crop rotation. When crops are rotated regularly, beneficial organisms are provided with different habitats. This suppresses weeds, fixes nitrogen, and minimizes the need for farmers to use synthetic fertilizers.
Increased biodiversity. When biodiversity increases, we create a more balanced and resilient ecosystem. We can increase biodiversity by planting diverse crops through crop rotation, cover cropping, and using indigenous plants adapted to the local climate.
3. Farmer-to-Farmer Training
Peer-to-peer learning has always been a great way to learn and share knowledge. It fosters a sense of community among farmers, encouraging them to learn from each other and create shared experiences for experienced and aspiring farmers. This provides guidance and encouragement along the way. Consequently, Ambokili has opened our doors to farmer field schools and exchange visits to allow farmers to experiment and become familiar with new techniques.
4. Policy & Advocacy
The best way to shape agricultural policies is to be the voice of change. Providing training resources helps the farmers to understand policy issues and to engage in advocacy efforts. It also allows them to communicate effectively with decision-makers about their needs and perspectives.
Collaborating with government agencies and non-governmental organizations, among other organizations, for impact. Organizations that support sustainable agriculture, women in agriculture, and small-scale farmers. At Ambokili, we encourage women to take on leadership roles. We give employment opportunities to women in the community
5. Finance
Limited financial resources are a significant challenge for young, aspiring, or experienced farmers. Second, it is financial literacy. We have provided financial training to our workers and partnered with Equity Bank. By training them, they gain the knowledge and skills to manage their finances, which helps them in their everyday lives. This empowerment through financial literacy gives them control over their resources and decisions.
6. Seed Bank
Another vital role in empowering farmers is ensuring a resilient agricultural system. We must preserve our local treasures. As mentioned earlier, indigenous seeds are beneficial for maintaining biodiversity as they are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions. A diverse seed bank provides farmers with multiple options and promotes food security. When farmers have access to high-quality seeds, they also increase their chances of successful harvests. It also empowers them to become self-sufficient and reduce their reliance on external sources. This responsibility of preserving local seeds is a commitment to sustainability that every farmer should uphold.
Join the Journey!
We invite you to join us on this sustainable journey, whether you are just starting or are an experienced farmer.
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What are your biggest challenges as a farmer? Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below.