| Manor House Agricultural Centre (MHAC) was established in 1984 in response to a three-year drought that caused severe hunger in many areas of rural Kenya. Against this stark background the need for new approaches to farming was strikingly evident. 75% of Kenyans make their living from farming, and over 85% of these are small-scale, family farmers. Kenya’s agricultural policies have historically focused on growth objectives at the expense of equity issues and have largely neglected the small farmer. Despite the fact that the majority of Kenyan farmers work on an average holding of 1.1. hectares, policies have focused on the development of cash crops destined for export. Such policies provided a net gain in exports, but today, Kenya imports 80% of its food. |
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| Double-digging method |
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MHAC is an indigenous organization that for over two decades has been at the forefront of helping the neediest Kenyan families to achieve ongoing food security through improved soil fertility and increased farm production, and a modest level of prosperity through marketing of their excess crops. Since its inception, MHAC has been a leader in the movement in Kenya to increase food security by introducing small-scale farmers to farming practices that make efficient use of limited resources, require few, if any, external inputs, and protect natural resources (particularly soil fertility) for future generations.
The curriculum at MHAC addresses the goals of the United Nations and the World Food Council, which are calling for forms of agriculture that reduce chemical use, conserve and rehabilitate soil, improve farm productivity, conserve plant genetic resources, research and develop organic farming techniques, use and conserve local resources, and produce large amounts of calories from small areas. |
Methods:
MHAC promotes GROW BIOINTENSIVE, a low cost agricultural technology suited to small-scale farmers developed at Ecology Action in Willits, California. GROW BIOINTENSIVE focuses on composting to improve soil fertility, deep soil preparation to enhance growth, mulching to conserve moisture, close spacing to increase productivity, and biological controls to manage pests and plant diseases.
Click here for more details about the GROW BIOINTENSIVE method.
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GROW BIOINTENSIVE aims at growing the most food from the least land. It has been found through our experience of 23 years that this farming method addresses the most urgent needs of family farmers in Kenya, where the size of farms has steadily decreased, soil has deteriorated, water is often severely limited, and farming inputs are beyond the reach of most farmers.
In addition, MHAC training programmes provide participants with skills in livestock management, nutrition, appropriate technology, small business management, and agroforestry. |
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