FORMAT PHOTOS

A biological invasion of East African freshwaters by the noxious aquatic weed, water hyacinth, resulted in the recognition of its potential use in woven handicrafts and paper products. Sensing a business opportunity, Millicent Olal  founded Hyacinth Crafts in 1998 with assistance by the Kisumu Innovation Centre Kenya, a local non-governmental organization. Millicent’s operation currently engages 35 families in the collection of water hyacinth and preparation of fibre, 30 weavers and 20 papermakers who produce an assortment of furniture, household accessories, office supplies, stationary and gift items. Millicent then markets these items in Nairobi. The production of fibre products by cottage industry artisans in areas most severely affected by water hyacinth empowers those who would otherwise suffer hardships from reduced access to aquatic resources. Millicent is fond of saying that Hyacinth Crafts Turns Gloom to Bloom, and FORMAT salutes her efforts.

Margaret Lan’gat of SACRED Africa’s Project "Managing Beneficial Interactions in Legume Intercrops (MBILI)" displays groundnuts grown with maize in an innovative approach that staggers maize rows and allows  better growing conditions for the understorey legumes.. MBILI results in higher yields, economic gain and more efficient land use. The approach was recently demonstrated to over 800 farmers at the Bungoma Farmers Training Centre and the response was very favourable.  Farmers are quick to understand the basics of this technology, and often relate to MBILI's staggered row intercrop as "two-by-two", an interesting play on words considering that the acronym MBILI is also Kiswahili for the number "two".

Lucy Gichinga  of the Kihara Zero Grazing Group in Kiambu, Kenya proudly displays her cattle. The principle of zero grazing is to raise improved breeds of livestock under confined conditions in order to make better use of limited land area, feed and organic resources. An important benefit from zero grazing is greater efficiency in collecting animal manure for use in market vegetable production. The group serves to disseminate information on crop and livestock husbandry among its membership and to collectively market its products. Rather than sell the group’s milk in bulk for KSh 18 per litre, it is processed into yogurt for distribution in Nairobi, a process that more than triples its value! Self-help groups of this sort are emerging throughout Kenya, and a major challenge to research and development organizations is to identify and meet their needs.

The epigeic earthworm, Ensenia foetida ssp. andrii (who were you expecting, Naomi Campbell?) is used for vermicomposting in Kenya.  The worms convert a wide range of farm wastes and crop residues into a uniform compost containing 1.2% nitrogen, 0.7% phosphorus and 0.8% potassium.  This compost is particularly useful as the major ingredient of potting mixture for tree and vegetable seedlings.  Several commercial farms have adopted vermicomposting but some difficulties are being experienced in extending this technology to the smallhold sector because the worms must be protected from predators, particularly ants.  When successfully practiced, this technology not only yields compost, but worms for feeding fish and poultry.