Urban farming training for the Hatua Women Group

This week, the Agricultural Officer of Likoni and her assistant did a training session with the Hatua Women Group to demonstrate urban farming methods.

The Hatua Women Group, which was started by former Hatua intern Regina, comprises eight women, who are mostly mothers of Hatua students. The women, who are unemployed, were brought together to learn, share and set up ideas for income-generating activities in Likoni. So far, the women have set up a small vegetable nursery near the Likoni Community Library.

The first demonstration was on an urban farming technique called Balcon Farming which makes efficient use of space and minimizes labor in a limited environment. By making use of the vertical walls of a tall circular structure, many crops can be planted in a small space.

The women were shown how to create such a structure, which can last for two years. First, they sewed together durable sack cloth to create the structure's exterior and then were shown how to carefully position a central column of rocks surrounded by a mixture of soil and chicken manure. This ensures even and efficient distribution of water to all the crops.

The women were also trained in how to set up a small-scale mabuyu (Baobab sweets; very popular with school kids) business. They were shown how to prepare and package the sweets, and how to keep accounts of base costs, input expenditure and profit.

This is an activity that the women can do individually from their own homes with minimal set-up costs.

 Check out more photos from the day on Hatua's Facebook page.