#passion fruit yield per plant in Kenya

[farmerstrend]

Passion Fruit Farming in Kenya: The Current State of Passion Fruit Industry

Passion fruit farming in Kenya has grown significantly over the years, evolving into a lucrative agricultural venture. Known for its nutritional value and versatility, passion fruit has captured both local and international markets. This article delves into the current state of passion fruit farming in Kenya, providing detailed insights into industry statistics, economic impacts, and future…

[agapekids]

Life in the Garden: How gardening classes can help kids stay home

Tucked into the far corner of the Agape Kitale campus lies a tiny organic paradise known as the shamba, translated into English as “garden.” A sturdy wall of maize lines the rear, preceded by alternating rows of a surprising variety of crops: sukuma (kale), bell peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, strawberries, chives, beans. The list goes on. Every living thing in the garden is there for a purpose, as stated by a sign proclaiming the many health benefits of vegetables, “God’s pharmacy.” Even the hedge is not merely a decoration, but a source of natural medicine and healthful nutrients, being comprised of two plants, an anti-malarial herb and a passion fruit vine. Standing like the Tree of Life in the center of all this, a mature avocado tree spreads its shade over an unruly half circle of benches. This shamba isn’t just a source of food for Agape; it’s a classroom.

Twice a week, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, children can elect to take classes and learn practical skills of animal husbandry and crop farming to supplement their IRPs. And who wouldn’t rather take classes outdoors in the sunshine, getting one’s hands dirty rather than to be cooped up indoors doing bookwork? The classes are really popular with the children, so much so, that sometimes kids are caught sneaking out of their tutoring classes to go work in the shamba. “[If they could] there’s quite a few kids that would always choose to be there instead of class,” says Andrea Dowell, director of Agape Kitale.

Gardening classes may sound like a fun and practical supplement to coursework, but the rationale behind it goes deeper to the very heart of what Agape does, family reunification and strengthening. The farming classes are the brainchild of John Okomba, an independent contractor retained by Overlake Christian Church. John oversees the shamba and provides his insights for it, and he’s a veritable treasure trove of ideas.

John reasons that since some children run away from home due to a food shortage, if they know how to grow their own food, they won’t have that need or fear any longer. It gives the children a sense of security to know that they will always have food if they know how to grow it themselves. They can watch the process of farm to table, so to speak, happening in front of them at Agape and realize for themselves that if they can learn this and take that knowledge back home with them, they don’t need to worry about going hungry in the future.

John’s vision for the shamba is to continue creating and maintaining a variety of small-scale projects, small being for practicality and space reasons, but also with the mind that some children are returning to families who have limited land space. One example of this is the experimental farming technique of growing kale in a sack instead of in the ground. Theoretically, several crops can be grown at once in the same bag, albeit in small quantities (about 99 plants per sack). The one currently in progress gets a fairly high yield of about 85%.

Another example is the rabbits, which a few responsible children help maintain, knowing that they get to take one with them when they go home. Chickens are a common source of food in Kenya, but rabbits are especially practical because they are small, take up little space, and reproduce quickly. They can then also be sold for income that could be used for school fees.

“They have the mind of taking care of whatever they have instead of going back to the streets,” says John, referring to the children who bring home rabbits. This is also more widely true for children who start small farms after they go home. It’s a commitment, something they are now responsible for that they don’t want to lose due to neglect. It gives them purpose and keeps them busy with important work, something everyone needs.

Maybe one day Agape can teach farming skills to the parents as well, not only so that they can have the self-sustaining knowledge of food production, but so they can see for themselves what their children are learning and understand and support their children better in their newfound skills. What does John hope? That maybe one day every child who comes to Agape can take home a rabbit.

The shamba can teach us so much more than can be written about in one article. There is so much potential for family strengthening that can be further explored. Even just taking a walk through it is revitalizing; there’s something about being in a garden that brings peace and refreshment. But that shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s where life first started, a Garden called Eden. ▬ 

by Katie Suratt