Working Together is Always Better

KENYA – In Kenya, World Renew advocates sustainable food security by promoting conservation agriculture. The drought-resistant practices of CA promise to help farmers weather climate unpredictability and soil fertility issues in ways that traditional..

The drought-resistant practices of CA promise to help farmers’ weather climate unpredictability and soil fertility issues in ways that traditional farming does not. The Conservation Agriculture Kenya Hub has been operating since 2011, connecting organizations and building the capacity of its members to use and promote conservation agriculture with the rallying cry “Food Secure Kenya!”

Since its inception, the CA-Kenya Hub has believed that learning is better together than alone. With encouragement from the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, the four original members, representatives from World Relief Canada, Mennonite Central Committee, Canadian Baptist Ministries and World Renew, have grown into a group of over 50, including local government country officials, members of research organizations, university professors, European Union/NGO and UN representatives, and for-profit farmers. Our membership was given a boost when I was asked to speak at the last Conservation Agriculture Annual Conference in Nairobi. Our regular quarterly meetings now draw over 20 people and, as our members share knowledge and visit each other’s work sites, they find strength in solidarity, in being together, in supporting each other, and in jointly seeking funding for larger-scale impact in Kenya.

CA-Kenya Hub’s accomplishments of the last 3-4 years include joint trainings, ensuring access to conferences and other events, exchange visits, consistent quarterly meetings, information sharing, fundraising efforts, and affiliation with other organizations. Last year, we even established an online presence with a whatsapp group for sharing meeting and conference information, announcements, and general information about conservation agriculture practices.

The success of this network is mainly due to the ownership of the CA-Kenya Hub network itself. Since our beginning, we have had no outside funding; members take turns hosting quarterly meetings held twice in Nairobi and twice in rural areas every year, so we are able to see farmers and meet in a rural setting. Another factor in our success so far has been the commitment of the members who see the learning, networking, and fundraising value in our alliance. We also find strength in keeping our work focused on conservation agriculture specifically in Kenya. This focus allows us to have maximum impact.

As the current chairperson of the CA-Kenya Hub for the past 2 years, I have experienced real joy and a huge learning curve.

I really believe that working together is always better than working alone.