Organic Farming and Agroforestry
by Pauline Atieno Owiti
I am Pauline Owiti and I’m the Founder of The Polly Foundation. Our goal at the Foundation is to train the community in the best suitable practices of sustainable organic farming and agro forestry.
In Siaya county and in Kenya as a whole, we have witnessed reduced crop yields due to nutrient depletion and loss of soil biodiversity. Non regenerative farming practices have caused the problems over the long term but more recently the over-use of agro chemicals as fertilizer and pest controls have made the problems worse.
And then there's climate change. It's not just the burning of fossil fuels that is causing global climate disruption. Large scale factory farming is also contributing significantly to the problem. In my short lifetime I have witnessed additional crop failures due to the disruption of our rainy seasons.
We believe that organic farming offers an alternative that can eliminate many of the environmental problems caused by the contemporary, un-sustainable agricultural practices. . Instead of using petroleum derived chemicals to fertilize and protect crops, farmers learn to see more natural alternatives.
They learn about compainon planting and permaculture. We are focusing on ensuring that the community uses the available resources around them and at the end get higher produce from their farms. They learn how to use natural composts and mulches that recycle nutrients and control pests and weeds. First and foremost we train them on best agronomical practices, and then introduce them to the resources they would use as farm inputs; how to make them and later carry out a demonstration on farming. After farming we carry out assessment and follow up with the farmer for two months.
Moreover, due to prolonged dry seasons in the area we have introduced drought resistance crops like cassava, sweet potatoes and sorghum to farmers. These particular crops do well in this region and we therefore educate farmers to the reasons as to why we would like them to grow such crops and simple agronomic practices they would use to take care of the crops.
Not only do we focus in the community but schools too. We have a program every Friday of the week whereby we go to primary schools and train them on importance of environmental protection and urban agriculture specifically kitchen gardening. In this program we set aside a section within the school compound where pupils do there practical of gardening and tree planting.
At The Polly Foundation, our goal is to shift away from the short-sighted greed of " agri-business " and move instead towards the health and wellbeing of the community. To restore the "culture” in agriculture.
About
Pauline Owiti is a Professional agronomist with strong background in Community development and environmental action. She is the founder of The Polly Foundation an community based organization training farmers on organic farming. She is also part of Youth Policy Advisory Council at Sustainable Ocean Alliance and serves as a Community Scout at Kenya Wildlife Service.