FOOD page.2

The Akamba are, in the main, subsistence farmers, totally reliant on the few crops grown in their fields. Because they do not have knowledge of better farming methods, or access to ploughs & other tools, the yield is very low even when there is sufficient rainfall. In order to help them produce more from their land, AAF give advice on how to grow more in their fields in good years to provide a surplus for next year which may be dry.

Our AAF representative Stephen Kalani Munyoki is recognised as one of the best farmers in the area, and he organises the AAF Agricultural programme, giving instruction to the poor on better methods, and when the rain season starts, arranging the loan of a plough and bulls from our own stock to plough the family’s land, and then loans enough seed for them to plant. This is then returned from their new crop at harvest.

Without access to a plough, the poor just dig small holes in the soil and drop two seed in each, but the surrounding soil is still hard thus resulting in poor growth.

However, when the land is ploughed, this gives a much better yield on all crops, and if the field is terraced, more rainfall is retained at the roots promoting better growth.