By Brent Woodside

In our first week, we had the opportunity to visit one of the farms in the local area.  Tony was our driver for the day and came to to pick us up at the house to take us to Julius’ farm.  This was our first encounter with the Gypsy, a vehicle with two normal bucket seats upfront and two bench seats that face each other in the back where we all piled in.  After a bit of a bumpy ride, we arrived at the farm.

The farm was large for the local area having 18 dairy cattle and 2 full time staff and 1 casual employee.  However as they were currently in silage season, they had increased their labour force to include an additional 5 workers.

The people on the farm were extremely welcoming showing us the cows and calves then the maize, and finally how they do silage.  Being from a farm it was very interesting to see how different their silage process is from what we do back in Canada. Almost all of the process is done by hand with the exception of the maize being mulched to be turned into silage.

Around dinner time, Julius arrived and as I went to speak with him he asked if I could help him with an errand.  As I jumped in the truck we drove to his hotel that he was in the process of building.

Upon arriving, we picked up large jugs filled with water and drove them to a local farm.  On the way Julius informed me that the owner of the farm was a friend of his who was a doctor in Nairobi that had helped him in the past. The farm was recently built and did not yet have running water and that we were dropping the jugs off so that the livestock and workers would have water.

It is incredible to see how everyone interacts here in Kenya.  When one person struggles, others in the area come to the rescue.  Also there is a sense of community that is overwhelming as people are always greeting each other and always making time to share their culture and language with anyone who takes an interest.

Today we were picked up by Mwenda, who is a part of the Kenyan staff with Farmers Helping Farmers. We went to the farm of Julius, who is Jennifer’s brother.

We were going to his farm with the intention of helping out on the farm by doing some silage. One of the machines was unfortunately broken so we were unable to help but this opened us all up to having the time to converse and make connections with some of the individuals who lived on the farm.

There were 2 women named Mary and Kristy, a man named Tony and a little girl named Lynn. We spent time with them for a few hours. Mary brushed and styled my hair along with my other female classmates. Once Mary was done I asked if I could do her hair, to which she accepted and I did a French braid in her hair.

We also listened to music and Mary and Kristy showed us some of the common ways to move to their music. They asked us to show them some of our traditional dance moves. Maude and I demonstrated to them some popular dances that have been seen in Canada, such as some step dancing and square dancing.

We all chatted about things that were typical in our home countries and shared laughs over the many differences.

Overall, this experience is the perfect example of adapting to whatever situation you are put into. We went with the expectation of doing one thing and were pleasantly surprised to spend the afternoon in a completely different manner.

by Erica MacLean

February 22^nd, 2019

What an amazing time it has been so far! With such a warm welcome into our home, community, and schools, it is easy to feel at home within the Naari community!  I, as well as the rest of my team consisting of pre-service teachers, have had the great privilege of enjoying the local foods, fruits and cuisine!  It is such a great way to learn about local culture, customs, and traditions. In Canada, a good meal with great food always brings people together and Kenyan culture is no different.

While staying at our house in Naari, we have been blessed with the company of two local Kenyan men who are quite talented in the kitchen.  They help prepare our daily meals and make sure to keep us fueled for our new daily experiences.  As I love cooking and learning new recipes I have had the chance to help, watch, and learn some of the delicious Kenyan recipes!  A favourite by most of the team were chapatis.  Made of wheat flour, oil, spices, and milk, these ingredients created a dough which is then cooked to perfection.  It is delicious to eat with stews, curry, beans, or simply by itself with tea!

Ah, Kenyan tea! Made with fresh milk, tea leaves, and water, this warm drink is so simple but so soothing whether drank in the morning with breakfast, or in the evening as a light before super treat!  It brings everyone together to share about their day and enjoy the delicious taste of Kenya!  I have yet to be disappointed with the food and company at each meal, and have a feeling this will remain a highlight of my Kenyan stay and experience!!

by Ken Mellish and Peter Townshend    

Anne met us at the side of the highway at Ngusishu and we walked the mile on the dirt road to her farm. She farms with her husband milking two cows and selling milk. We had come to see her quarter acre of alfalfa. The area was dry and there was not much green in sight. The alfalfa stood out with its brilliant green growth contrasting to its surroundings.

Alfalfa is the best source of high protein forage for milking cows. Last year, we saw some older alfalfa fields but farmers told us they were not seeding alfalfa because the seed was not good. We expected it was not the seed but the seeding methods. We bought some seed, did a germination test and found the seed was good. The next step was to sort out how to seed alfalfa and get a good crop.

We emphasized preparing a fine, firm seedbed. We then used a push type, Earthway seeder we had bought for carrot seeding. This seeder would evenly place the seed and pack the soil. The results were what we were looking for each time.  We saw even, healthy stands of alfalfa. Ann and her husband were one of the farms trying out the new seeding methods.

An Earthway seeder

Ann planted a quarter acre of alfalfa. After the expected slow start by the alfalfa, she began feeding alfalfa to her cows. She cuts enough each day so that the field is harvested in five weeks. The first of the field is ready to cut again when she finishes the final cutting.  

She has some irrigation water available so she can get ten cuts a year. The alfalfa is deep rooted and goes down for water. Alfalfa captures nitrogen from the air by root nodules so only some cow manure rich in phosphorous and potassium is needed to keep fertilizer an optimum level.

Ann’s alfalfa

For results from the cows, milk production per day increased from 10 kg from two cows to 25 kg per day.

That’s an increase in income from 350 ksh (Kenyan shillings) to 875 ksh (Kenyan shillings) per day, or up to about $11 per day.  

This allowed Ann to pay school fees for her three children and buy some extra food and have some money for Christmas. These were very ordinary cows which were fed on some excellent alfalfa.

Several other farmers also reported similar results with feeding alfalfa.

Farmers Helping Farmers purchased enough seed to seed a further 15 acres on a number of farms.

It would be difficult to describe how pleased Ann was with her new crop and her increased income from milk. She gave us some farm fresh eggs from her farm as a gift.

by Peter Townshend
Rollo Bay, P.E.I.

“I had a farm in Africa”. These are the immortal words of Karen Blixen in her wonderful autobiography about her time in Kenya which was made into the critically acclaimed movie Out of Africa with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, a great movie!

There are countless people in Kenya who can say the same except the word is shamba not farm.

If you meet 100 people in Meru County and ask them if they have a shamba ninety nine percent would say, “yes of course!” 

Even the private secretary to the Governor of Meru County, a lawyer, is very proud to say he has a shamba and is working to build up his dairy herd.

In Canada, over the last two generations, most people could not get away from the farm fast enough but that is not the Kenyan experience.  Having a shamba in Kenya, typically one or two acres, gives you food security because you can grow virtually any crop.

Where we were in Meru County, we were in the foothills of Mt. Kenya. There is lots of productive farmland at elevations between 1,500 to 2,500 meters which allows for a wide diversity of crops and fruits.

Coming from Prince Edward Island, where Tea Hill is the highest elevation around, I did not have any appreciation of the impact the change in elevation has on crops.  

We were on the equator and the climate was actually perfect. Daytime is similar to a hot day in July on P.E.I. but at night the temperature drops dramatically and is quite cool. 

We saw a potato field that looked like it had been hit by blight but had actually been hit by frost.

Visiting potato farms in Kenya felt like I had a time machine and had gone back to the 1930s.  

Most farms had no machination at all; in many cases the land is cultivated with a grub hoe. A few farmers had oxen to do some work, tractors are extremely rare.  

I helped harvest potatoes on a large shamba of ten acres with two acres of potatoes where we literally dug potatoes out of the ground with our bare hands. My fingers have not recovered yet!  

This farm had a 350 hundred weight crop of beautiful potatoes that were one hundred percent saleable. I never saw such perfect quality! No insect damage or scab or internal issues at all. Any P.E.I. farmers would have been proud to offer these to his or her customer.

Kenyan potato production is in a time of rapid transition, they are seeing the value of using certified seed and proper inputs of fertilizer and pest control.

The land is naturally fertile and they only need to apply half the fertilizer growers on P.E.I. would need. There are no Colorado Potato Beetles or wireworms which make life much easier, but they have a lot of pressure from late blight the same as we do on P.E.I.

The biggest concern is water. They have two rainy seasons when they can usually grow crops without irrigation. The rain can be very localized and depends on the proximity to Mt. Kenya.

The soil is volcanic in origin, red in color, stone free and has a neutral PH but when it dries out it can make hard lumps.

They can grow potatoes year round in Kenya if they have water but they typically plant two crops a year to coincide with the rainy seasons. Growing two crops per year can create challenges with having seed potatoes break dormancy and become ready to plant.  The most common variety is Shangi. It works well because it tastes good, cooks fast and has a very short dormancy. We actually saw them sprouting at harvest time.

Traditionally, farmers sell the large potatoes for consumption and keep the small ones to plant the next crop. As a result, many of the fields are one hundred percent virus infected with a very low yield potential.

Dutch seed companies HZPC and Agrico are in Kenya supplying new varieties and virus free versions of old varieties.  In order to make them affordable to local farmers, they are multiplying three generations in the county in seventeen months.  This is done on large commercial farms with modern techniques and equipment. These farms are a carryover from the British Colonial days and a surprising number are still in place, although Kenya gained independence from the UK in 1963 and now operates as a commonwealth nation similar to Canada.  It is odd to see small hold farms beside large farms with self-propelled sprayers and GPS.

There are many challenges for Kenyan potato farmers.  The marketing system is bizarre. Brokers come to the farm at harvest to buy potatoes.  They buy by the bag which is not weighted and typically hold over 100 kilograms!

Good storage is practically non-existent except on the very large farms so farmers are forced to sell cheap even though they know the price will double or triple in several months.  

Another major issue is the application of pesticides which is done with a back pack sprayer walking through the fields with no safety equipment at all. I gave out a lot of spray gloves which were donated by Cavendish Agri but they are only a small help to a very large problem which needs to be addressed.

In many ways, farmers face the same problems we do with production, transportation, marketing and regulation.  It was my great privilege to spend some time there as a fellow farmer and share some experiences with them. I will never forget walking down dusty roads in the “cradle of humanity” and receiving the wonderful hospitality of the Kenyan people.

Even with all of its challenges, I would describe it as a beautiful land with endless opportunities.

by Jolene Vermeulen, vet student at the Atlantic Veterinary College

Our Nairobi students from week 3!

Kenya is a beautiful place and I have got to experience so much during my visit which makes writing about it quite the challenge!

What stands out the most is the connections I have made along the way-as simple as a friendly hand shake, exchanging smiles of gratitude or finding mutual ground in a love of animals with other veterinarians.

Even the small animals in Kenya need some love. Molly and Gypsy certainly loved it!

A little helper that helped at the walk in clinic and he likes PEI potatoes!

I have had the great privilege of working with 6 students from the University of Nairobi, PhD students and veterinarians in Kenya. They have each contributed in their own way to our group and it has been a beneficial experience for all of us.

Many of these people do the necessary work to help farmers in Kenya 365 days of the year. Their drive and inquisitive nature was motivating and left a feeling of distinct privilege to have crossed paths with these people.

Our first week of students from Nairobi! Cess and Jay helped with the big walk in clinic. We are so proud to call them colleagues!

Katie and Mount Kenya in the background, after a big seminar session given to farmers in the area

We have met managers of dairies, farmers and perfect strangers.

All have been so kind, motivated and passionate about their work and their country.

Mitchelle teaching eager farmers at one of the many seminar sessions

Some of the FHF team comparing notes

As a dairy farmer in Canada it was a humbling experience to see the teamwork, appreciation and the ability to use all that is around them so efficiently and effectively. So keen for information and I was happy to be a part of empowering these farmers the way I have been in Canada.

Knowledge is power and over time the farmers in Kenya will be a force to be reckoned with!

Our saving grace while we were in Kenya- Peter was more then our driver and came to be a dear friend. He kept us safe and got us were we needed to go to help the farmers of Kenya!

Mitchelle taking a moment after doing her physical exam on a sick cow to give a kitten some love.

Kenya would not have been the same without my wonderful classmates Katie and Samantha.