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| Crops Department, students collecting data |
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Crops DepartmentThe
numerous demonstration garden units of the Crops Department are a vital
component of MHAC’s programs in GROW BIOINTENSIVE training. The department is divided into four sections, field crop, gardens, research, and agro-forestry.
The most important
principle of GROW BIOINTENSIVE farming is learning to care for the
soil, for the soil to nourish the crops so that the crops can nourish
ourselves. Returning to the soil what we take out leads to improved and
sustainable soil fertility. In short we "grow the soil", which is the backbone of sustainable farming.
Our GROW BIOINTENSIVE farming activities that help small-scale farmers produce more healthy products include:
· Recycling and composting of crop residue, animal manure and green manuring
· Crop rotation, diversity, companion planting, and growing open pollinated crops
· Deep soil preparation
· Mulching to conserve moisture
· Close spacing of plants, enabled by these practices.
We don't use man-made chemical based fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. Compost, tea manure and some local plant extracts are used for appropriate purposes in crop production. Our farming practices are environmentally friendly and sustainable.
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| Livestock Department, a student attends to chicks |
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Livestock Department
MHAC offers training in livestock management, including dairy cattle, dairy goats, sheep, poultry, pigs, donkeys and rabbits. MHAC
lays emphasis on training farmers to keep and manage small ruminants
like the dairy goats for milk production and other small livestock such
as chicken and rabbits to produce valuable animal proteins that help
alleviate malnutrition. This
training is especially relevant for resource poor small-scale farmers
without the adequate land and resources needed to rear large ruminants. The amount of food required for one Friesian dairy cow can sustain approximately 5 dairy goats.
Training
on livestock is offered as an integral part of GROW BIOINTENSIVE at the
Centre. The animals, farmers and crops enjoy a mutual interrelationship
in this sustainable farming system. As
the farmers who have adopted the GROW BIOINTENSIVE technology reap high
yields of healthy organic produce, the small livestock utilize crop
residues from the organic garden and produce valuable additional
products for the family food and income. The
animals’ waste products are recycled on the farm to boost soil
fertility—plant nutrients are therefore recycled through the animal and
crop wastes back to the soil for new plants uptake.
Chicken production is highly valued by over 90% of the farmer groups who attend training at the Centre. Poultry farming can be a very important means of providing proteins from eggs and meat, and a source of income to the family. Rabbits
can be cheaply kept and easily multiplied to large numbers in a short
time as they require little food and their generation interval is short. Rabbits produce good quality meat.
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| MHAC donkey harness and wagon developed by the Appropriate Technology Department |
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Appropriate Technology Department
MHAC
aims to inspire and mentor students in courses on appropriate technology that
can accelerate socio-economic development of the nation.
The
Appropriate Technology Department also offers consultancy services to outside
organizations and individuals in biogas technology, bee keeping, solar energy
and draft animal technology. Some
of the consulting organizations include ITDG, FITCA, the Ministry of
Agriculture, Church Based Organizations, and World Vision.
We
make and sell bee-keeping equipment, draft animal harnesses and accessories,
solar cookers, solar water heaters, wood/fuel saving jikos, and more.
We
have been recognized for excellence in a wide range of innovations. For example, we developed and tested a
donkey harness that is used specifically in steep slope terrain to carry
aluminum milk containers (cans). We have developed an improved solar water heating system by
incorporating a “kuni” booster water heating device. Because it uses both solar energy and dry biomass it is more
effective, especially on cloudy days.
Experimentation with innovation is continuous at MHAC.
Our technical expertise has been shared with many farmers, oranizations, and government extension officers through demonstrations, training, consultancy services, and exhibitions during the Agricultural Show of Kenya (ASK) (North Rift Branch, Kitale).
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