By Lilian Wangui
Farmers Learning Information Point
(FLIP) is a programme that has been initiated by SACDEP-Kenya. It brings
small-scale farmers involved in sustainable agriculture at a central place to
pin-point issues they encounter in their day to day farming activities. The
project is implemented in various counties, Laikipia County being one of them.
The session is usually held after a fortnight and often overseen by SACDEP
official. The Laikipia County FLIP session is facilitated by Mr. Andrew
Munguti.
Women constructing a water tank in Laikipia |
They also learn how to make compost
manure and top dress their crops using liquid manure. They are taught new
sustainable farm practices such as “masumbuko” and “madara”, the kind of
kitchen garden useful for household consumption. For farmers whose farms are on
a sloppy terrain they are taught how to create contours to prevent top soil
from being carried away in case of run-off. Since Laikipia County is a parched
area farmers are taught ways to mulch their crops to prevent excessive loss of
water from the soil.
The group also benefits from water
harvesting lessons. They are taught how to construct water tanks near their
households. The tanks should be long-lasting and supply them with water for
domestic purposes and irrigation during the dry season. After the training,
each group builds a water tank for each member. Everybody including women is
expected to participate in the actual construction of the tank.
To prevent soil degradation that
come as a result of excessive use of inorganic fertilizers and poor farming
practices, farmers are encouraged to practice crop rotation and inter-cropping
to enhance availability of nutrients in the soil for crop uptake.
FLIP sessions has literary flipped farmers
and made them to soar into better livelihood.
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