Project Launch:

The area of Kalou, Kenya is primarily agricultural, producing maize (corn) and potatoes. Because of the elevation, fruits and vegetables high in varied vitamins have to be imported and can be expensive or extremely seasonal. Greenhouses offer a new way to provide fruits, tomatoes, and yellow peppers to the area at lower cost, but most families cannot afford the start-up costs or lack the infrastructure knowledge to establish greenhouses. For this project, community members wish to construct a full-scale, community agricultural center and greenhouse, ultimately providing the more than 40,000 community members with a resource center focused on sustainable agricultural methods, nutritional gardening, reusable resources and untapped market opportunities. Local organizations and community members will be able to walk-through the compound and learn from classroom style seminars reading materials focused on composting, drip irrigation, crop diversity and marketing. The center will also house an organization database for networking and exchanging of ideas. The produce cultivated in the greenhouse will increase food security in the area, specifically providing foods high in vitamin C and targeting families living with HIV, and the center will use income generated to provide materials at cost to community members who want to construct household micro-greenhouses.

 

Project Update:

The greenhouse building was completed in Fall 2013 and reached its first harvest in November 2013, with no setbacks. In anticipation of the opening of the greenhouse, community members traveled, some very long distances, to attend seminars, agro-fairs and soil labs, paying their own way. This community demonstration greenhouse will now be used to grow fruits and vegetables, and to host seminars that will educate community members on improved agricultural practices. A portion of the income generated from the community greenhouse will be invested to build the community’s first 25 micro-greenhouses at area households.

 

Testimonials

"It has been an incredibly rewarding process, working with my community members and World Connect. I think that World Connect understands the importance of empowerment as a part of sustainability more so than most organizations. It was encouraging to see group members taking the lead and being proactive. Most of these members have never received loans or even had the financial means to try out new ideas, so I was proud of them when they took the idea and ran with it without much aid." – Brett, Peace Corps Volunteer
"Before Peace Corps and World Connect I had many ideas. Now I have been able to try these ideas and teach them to my neighbors." – Phyllis, Project Leader
"Helping with this project has taught me so much. I have already started a small household greenhouse at my home and we are growing tomatoes to save costs at the market and have been experimenting with different fruits and vegetables that are not available in our area." – Angela, Project Beneficiary