Using Indigenous Profits for Food Security

The sweltering heat and the winding dusty roads leading to Block Kamuchege A village in Thebere location, Kirinyaga County paints a gloomy picture of unrelenting effects of climate change.

Kamuchege region heavily relies on rice production, but one woman has decided to go against the grain by venturing into commercial vegetable farming and has never regretted.

Elizabeth Wambui, 38, grows mainly traditional vegetables such as; terere (amaranth), managu (nightshade), kunde (cowpeas) and sukuma wiki (collard greens) in her half acre plot of land using irrigation.

Wambui’s journey of becoming a successful vegetable farmer is reminiscent of the one thousand miles.

The mother of two started with a teaspoonful of the amaranth seed she was given by Farm Input Promotions Africa’s village based advisor, today she earns around Sh2,100 per every harvest.

“When I picked the seeds I did not know I was picking luck. Amaranth has now become my bank” said Wambui.

http://africasciencenews.org/picking-profits-from-indigenous-vegetables-in-kirinyaga-county

Bruce Fingerhood

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