Climate Resilient Machakos County Farm Stands Out Amid Kenya's Drought

Joyce Nduku’s three-acre farm located at the heart of Kenya’s Machakos county was the hallmark of green shoots on Thursday thanks to several days of heavy downpour.

The middle-aged mother of eight was optimistic the much awaited rains would herald a bumper harvest and a quicker recover from the drought-incurred hunger in a locality renowned for rampant food insecurity.

Apart from the rain, Nduku and dozens of her peers are also grateful for the ecologically sensitive farming methods promoted by international and local conservationists to beat hunger amid climatic stresses.

Speaking to Xinhua at her farm, Nduku pointed at a promising future thanks to organic farming and inter-cropping that have in the past delivered higher yields in her farm.

"The experience that I have gained in my 25 years of farming has triggered an urge to keep on adapting to new ways of producing food, and organic farming stands out as the most effective shield against hunger in the face of harsh weather," said Nduku.

She is among thousands of smallholder farmers in Machakos and other semi-arid Kenyan counties who are engaging in climate-resilient farming practices championed by Green Peace Africa in conjunction with local partners.

http://www.coastweek.com/4015-Climate-resilient-Machakos-county-farming-stands-out-amid-Kenya-drought.htm

Christine Lagat

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