MSETO ENVIRONMENTAL SELF HELP GROUP VETIVER GRASS PROJECT
REPORT
by Deputy Chairperson Paul Mwadime (with U.S. RPCV Kenya
Eric Jolliffe)
14 September, 2006
INTRODUCTION
I was
introduced to vetiver grass by an American PCV (Peace Corps volunteer) named
Eric Jolliffe in 2001 when we both lived in Sagalla, Kenya. I frequently
assisted him with seminars and projects. We educated and trained self-help
groups around the Taita Taveta District in Kenya about the many uses of vetiver
grass and how TVS (The Vetiver System) could inhibit land degradation by
reducing soil erosion. Most of the people attending these seminars were
small-scale farmers (total land ownership of 2 acres or less). Upon learning
about this previously unknown grass, they asked where and how they could
procure it. Prior to 2001, there were only 3 or 4 people in Sagalla who owned
vetiver grass. This grass was provided to them by a previous PCV named Emil
Tauka who obtained vetiver grass from the Machakos, Kenya ICRAF (International
Centre for Research in Agro forestry) in 1994.
In
November 2001, Mr. Jolliffe & I were invited to make presentations at the
Danida TTAP (Taita Taveta Agriculture Program) Building in Wundanyi, Kenya. At
that time, this Danish NGO project was overseen by Mr. Peter Moller
Christensen. Our presentations took place at the monthly meeting of FDA (Focal
Development Area) Chairpersons which was fronted by Mr. Arthur Maindi who was
the Sagalla Location Chairman. (This FDA system, which has since been
discontinued, consisted of organized membership of small farmers based on the
geographical �Locations� within the TT District.) Following our presentations,
4 out of 30 the Chairpersons in attendance asked when and where vetiver grass
could be obtained and at what cost. They correctly anticipated that farmers in
their locations would embrace it. Mr. Maindi, Mr. Moller, and Mr. Jolliffe
organized a trip to the K.A.R.I. (Kenya Agro forestry Research Institution)
located in Kisii, Kenya because that was the only place in Kenya, according to
Eric�s research, where this grass could be purchased in large quantities. Upon
returning from Kisii with a large load of vetiver grass in late November,
the 4 FDA's distributed it to
cost-sharing farmers. In Sagalla, 1220 of these vetiver grass slips were
planted in the Latah Nursery which has since developed into a large local
source for this grass. The Lwachase Nursery in Talio and the Mwarovo Nursery in
Ndara were other sources in Sagalla started by donations from Mr. Esau
Mwanganda (Esau won a TVN cash award in 2003, and is documented in SAVN
Newsletter #11).
Shortly
after the November presentations, I leased some fertile land in Sagalla
�Mballoni� because I saw a local need to develop an intensively managed farm
that would produce large quantities of quality crops. I purchased 394 slips or
�splits� of vetiver grass for 5 KES (Kenya Shillings) each from Mr. Mwanganda.
Esau was one of the 4 original Sagalla people supplied by Mr. Tauka, and had
developed an impressive supply of vetiver grass over the years on his
properties. I implemented TVS to improve and enhance growing conditions and
site productivity. I also noticed that the research regarding vetiver�s
function as an effective pathogen and insect deterrent proved to be true! For
example, my sukuma wiki (a green leafy vegetable commonly mistaken for �collard
greens� in the USA) was not exhibiting the decadence caused by local insects
that have been causing significant damage and losses in Sagalla farms since
time immemorial.
I decided
to start a larger-scale commercial vetiver grass nursery. My purpose was to
provide farmers with more local access to vetiver grass. By 2003, my farm in
Sagalla had 900,000 vetiver grass splits, and I saw that this leased land was
too small to accommodate more. So I decided to lease another piece of land
astride the Voi River in Gimba located in Sagalla�s �Lower Zone.� In March
2004, Mr. Jolliffe and Dr. James Owino of Egerton University�s Department of
Agricultural Engineering examined this piece of land. They agreed that this was
an acceptable growing site with good proximity to water. Not only could I grow
large amounts of this grass for production, but I could also implement TVS
along the Voi River bank where erosion is a big problem.
Starting
in May 2004, I started transferring the vetiver plants from my former land in
Sagalla to my new land in Gimba where I continue to increase my growing stock.
As of 2007, my land in Gimba has an estimated five million vetiver grass slips and my land in Sagalla has an estimated three million slips.
I reported my Gimba operation to the Voi Chief's Office On 1st June, 2004.
In 2005,
I initiated the process of forming a self help group. My goal was to assist
local farmers curb the problems of soil erosion, river bank erosion, gully
cutting, erosion caused by free range grazing, erosion caused by the process of
charcoal making and burning, and protection of the grass. Promoting and
implementing TVS would accomplish these goals. Through organizing meetings and
consulting with friends of the environment and farmers in the area, the idea
was developed.
We held
our first meeting on 28th February, 2006 with the local community. The agenda
was:
1)
Election
of Executive Board Members;
2)
Drafting
of the group constitution;
3)
Registration
of the group;
4)
Opening
of the group account.
On that
day, the members decided to adapt the consultation presented by Mr. Jamal
Mohamed. We elected a board consisting of:
1)
Chairperson Mrs.
Chenya Kombo
2)
Deputy
Chairperson Mr. Paul Mwadime
3)
Secretary Mr.
Jamal Mohamed
4)
Treasurer Mr.
Arnold Mwamboko
5)
Vice
Secretary Ms.
Laura Mghendi
The MEG
(Mseto Environmental Self Help Group Project) consists of 25 members under the
executive board. The group was registered on 10th May, 2006 by the Kenya
Ministry of Gender, Sports, Culture, and Social Services. Our Registration
Number is TTA/CD /2/5228. The MEG initiated this project in response to the
philosophy of the self-help movement with the following group activities:
1.
Establishing vetiver nurseries
2.
Generating fodder
3. Stabilizing
river banks
4.
Producing manure (fertilizer)
5. Making
thatch
The MEG
is a member of the Voi-Vuma �umbrella� organization, and the Taita-Taveta
Wildlife Forum.
THE
GROUP CONSTITUTION
A) OBJECTIVES
1)
Keeping
the environment clean.
2)
Improving
the living standards of the community.
3)
Enhancing
good health.
4)
Reclaiming
or rehabilitating land.
5)
Purifying
water.
6)
Reducing
poverty.
B) GROUP
MISSION
Our
mission is to advocate and promote the use of vetiver grass in the local
community, and to support the use of TVS by farmers throughout Kenya. Over
time, this should stabilize the environment and create industries owned by the
community for their own benefit.
C) VISION
Provide a
cleaner and safer environment for future generations.
D) SIGNATORIES
We
unanimously decided that two of the three board members (chairman, deputy
chairman, treasurer) would sign cheques on behalf of the group
E) GROUP
ACCOUNT
The MEG
a/c is opened at KCB (Kenya Commercial Bank) in Voi
ORGANIZATION
CAPACITY
Chairperson
Chenya Kombo is the headmistress of a local provincial school, and has over
thirteen years in administration. Secretary Jamal Mohamed is a CPA II
(Certified Public Accountant) who is skilled with Microsoft Office Suite, and
includes on his list of qualifications three NAO/CBO financial accounting
certificates. Treasurer Arnold Mwamboko is also a CPA II who is skilled with
Microsoft Office Suite and has over 7 years in financial management. Vice
Secretary Laura Mghendi has over a decade of experience in hotel management. I
(the Deputy Chairman) am a small farmer with over sixteen years of experience
in agriculture.
LOCATION
OF MSETO ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP
The group
is based in Gimba which is located approximately 5 kilometers south of Voi
town. We intend to open an office in Voi. Currently, our group can be contacted
using the following addresses:
MSETO
ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP
P.O.
BOX 223
VOI,
KENYA 80300
TELEPHONE
OUTSIDE OF KENYA: 011-254-734-835029
TELEPHONE
WITHIN KENYA: 0734-835029
E-MAI
PROJECT
(ACTIVITIES ON THE GROUND)
TVS (The
Vetiver System) is initiated by planting vetiver grass slips 10 to 20 cm apart
along a contour (line of points with equal elevation). A continuous unbroken
linear hedgerow will form in time, depending on local growing conditions, that
physically stops and dams soil but allows water to pass through. This grass
(scientific name Chrysopogon zizanioides) does not spread by seed because it is sterile;
Instead it multiplies vegetatively allowing for easy control. It can be used
for the following purposes:
Riverbank
stabilization;
Terracing;
Flood
control;
Composting
manure;
Green
pesticide (Organic);
Water
purification;
Fodder
and hay;
Thatch;
Handcrafts
(i.e.: hats, baskets, etc.);
Vetiver
nurseries;
Charcoal;
Soil
moisture retention;
Soil
productivity improvement;
Tea;
Detoxifying
polluted soils;
Manure/Fertilizer.
We have
applied TVS along 300 linear metres of the Voi River. The grass is responding
very well on the riverbank. It is stabilizing the banks of this river and will
contribute to water purification. The latter is important because on average,
this river flows for two months each year. This flow can be described as a
�brown torrent� caused by the high sediment load. The Voi area receives just
over 1 metre of precipitation per year, most of which occurs during intense
downpours: The result is high surface runoff into the river. TVS has also
stabilized land during flooding, and increased land fertility (soil moisture
retention).
We have
used vetiver grass in the following ways:
1
Composting
to obtain a manure possessing the same qualities found in artificial
fertilizers such as CAN and DAP.
2
Distilling
an effective pest repellent.
3
Absorbing
toxic substances from water which purifies it for safe use.
4
Including
it as feed for our goats and zero-grazing cows.
5
Thatching
roofs.
6
Making
handcrafts such as floor mats, lamp shades, hats, baskets, etc.
7
Establishing
nurseries comprised of splits/slips for sale.
8
Making
tea.
9
Producing
two types of charcoal:
1)
Normal
for cooking.
2)
Fragrant
for repelling elephants when they come to farms.
This year
we participated in the annual field day held at F.T.C Ngerenyi on 30th
July, 2006.
VETIVER
SALES
The total
sales receipts from vetiver grass sales since the inception of MEG to the
writing of this report adds up to 238,630.00 KES.
FURTHER
RESEARCH
We want
to start a website for MEG. We also want to train our vetiver technicians so
that we can, in turn, train farmers how to properly use TVS for soil
conservation.
We are
looking forward to commencing production of many types of handcrafts for sale,
opening our office in Voi Town, and putting all the information of our project
onto the website, CD's, diskettes, and video cassettes.
PROMOTION
STRATEGIES
1)
TVS
will be introduced in areas that are conducive to its growth (i.e. along Voi
River) so that its beneficial effects can be realized in the shortest possible
time.
2)
Meetings
will be organized at location and division/district levels to establish
strategies on how to acquire, multiply and distribute vetiver among other groups/
farmers.
3)
Demonstrations,
videos, and various presentations will be used to show the effectiveness of
TVS.
4)
Field
days will be organized where farmers can discuss TVS.
5)
Planting
materials will be made available by establishing nurseries.
6)
Our
extension staff will conduct training on TVS with farmers in the Taita/Taveta
District.
CRITIQUES/PROBLEMS
ENCOUNTERED IN PROJECT
1. TVS
is proving to be a "hard sell" in this area, so there is a need for
education.
2. We
currently have little funding for project expansion.
3. Agricultural
Extension Officers have been slow to accept TVS, and are therefore seldom
discussing it with local farmers.
4. It
took three years for the Agriculture Minister to make changes to Ministry
policy before we were able to collaborate.
5. Many
farmers in the Taita-Taveta district don't have any information about the use
and importance of this useful grass.
6. Poor
promotion strategies and lack of support from the government has kept demand
for vetiver grass low.
7. Some
marketers and sellers of vetiver grass have proven to be untrustworthy .
8. There
has been a disturbing amount of hostile and even subversive reactions to
vetiver grass locally by some road engineers, water engineers/hydrologists,
construction engineers/companies, conservationists, and environment-oriented
NGO's.
9. These
road engineers, water engineers/hydrologists, & construction
engineers/companies require education about TVS.
10. To
expand, we will need more and better facilities e.g. farm implements and tools.
11. There
is a lack of conservation spirit among the local community and our leaders.
12. We
need to obtain a large scale planting site and demonstration area.
NB:
We have
supplied vetiver planting materials to wei wei project in Kerio valley in
Kenya, Baobab trust foundation in Mombasa Kenya, Kima integrated initiative
project in western Kenya
Below are
sample pictures of the project:
Vetiver on Voi river Bank |
River water passing through Vetiver |
Mountain view through Vetiver grass |
Contour of Vetiver in the farm |
Vetiver contour in Gimba vetiver Nursery. |
CONCLUSION
We need
to promote TVS and advertise vetiver grass locally and nationwide using media
outlets such as KBC Radio, Radio Citizen, The Daily Nation, East Africa
Standard, Taifa Leo, Nation TV, and others. We need to involve area Chiefs,
D.O.'s, D.C.'s, and possibly M.P.'s. We would like to get onto the agendas of
Chiefs' Barazas, conduct field trips, and have field days. We would eventually
like to start a web site and open an office in Voi Town.
We would
like to collaborate with government agencies and ministries such as Roads,
Public Works, Agriculture and Environment. We are also reaching out to
churches, prisons (inmate labor projects), schools, self-help groups,
businesses, and (of course) small farmers.
In the
past, we have donated vetiver slips to certain groups. We welcome collaboration
with any donors who are "well-wishers" or have good intentions in
this project.
Report
composed by :
Paul
Mwadime, Deputy Chairperson