During a visit to Maiella at Lake Naivasha, The European Union Ambassador - Simon Mordue together with Mohamed Awer - WWF-Kenya CEO met with the smallholder farmers.  The farmers showcased the positive impact of sustainable production and consumption practices under GOALAN. Which is an funded by the EU SWITCH Africa Green Programme and implemented by the CSCP and WWF-Kenya World Wide Fund for Nature. The project aims to support the Kenyan horticultural sector by developing more sustainable production and consumption (SCP) practices along the supply chain, while at the same time provide green jobs in the horticultural sector which consequently leads to sustainable livelihoods.

During the visit, Ambassador Mordue emphasised the importance of the Horticultural sector to Kenya with about 80% of its exports that go to Europe. He confirmed the EU is ready to accept more products through sustainable consumption and production. The European Union Switch Africa Green supports the smallholder farmers to adopt low emission, climate-resilient, and green economy innovations, which help alleviate poverty while protecting the environment.

Nakuru County Agriculture County Executive Committee Member Dr. Immaculate Maina, stated that as a leading export horticultural system the county would ensure farmers continue to employ good agricultural practices to maximize the production of organic food.

GOALAN has Improved Access to Water by Farmers in Naivasha Sub- County

51-year-old Magdalene Mbutu is one of the farmers who live in the lower catchment of Lake Naivasha Basin - an area that is dry for the most part of the year. To put food on the table, she has to irrigate her five-acre farm where she grows tomatoes and also keeps dairy cattle. In 2012, she benefited from a WWF-Kenya project where she received water pan liners for her water pan. While the water pan solved the water access problem on her farm, she needed something more to enhance efficiency - a solar water pump. Her dream came true in September thanks to the Green Horticulture at Lake Naivasha (GOALAN) project, funded by the European Union, which works to build the capacity of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), towards adopting Sustainable Consumption and Production Practices.  The accompanying portable sprinkler comes in handy in that she can move it to different locations on her farm once the soil has gotten the right moisture.

Promoted Green Jobs among the Youth

Youth are often skeptical to pursue farming, however, through (GOALAN), they have been empowered to pursue farming as a business. An example is Josephat Kamau - a subsistence farmer in Geta Forest who like many other young people have received training on climate-smart agriculture in the Lake Naivasha Basin, through support from the European Union with the aim to adopt sustainable consumption and production practices while linking them to markets and financial services.

“Being a forest community I see no reason to engage in illegal activities inside the forest when I can sustainably grow our crops and earn our income through producing safe products. My farm has employed me I do not need to go to the city to look for a job. The contract farming model has helped tackle market access challenges and as well as post-harvest losses. We recently supplied 8.4 tonnes of potatoes to Kinagop processing plant.” Josephat Kamau - subsistence farmer in Geta Forest.

Reaped the Fruits of Sustainable Production 

"April 18th, 2019 was a great day for me. I made my first supply of tomatoes to Naivasha Kongoni Lodge. I have been practicing horticulture farming for the last seven years and the biggest challenge has always been market access. More than half of my harvest would go to waste while the rest are sold at a throw-away price. I am happy that I will be supplying this hotel for the next six months. Through the linkage by WWF-Kenya, I am assured of a reliable market, constant pay, and therefore able to plan my expenses including ploughing more into my farm.” Zaineb Malicha — Momaki Green Horticulture, Lake Naivasha Basin.

Read More About the GOALAN project