Monday, March 14, 2011

Mathare Foundation Centre


NMK Component 1 (Support to Community Driven Food Security Initiatives) grant is meant to empower groups through capacity building and provision of cash grants for up scaling agricultural activities. Target beneficiaries are registered small community groups. One such beneficiary is Mathare Foundation Centre in Nairobi.

The group is situated in Mathare Division and carries out its activities at St Teresa Schools. It was funded in the year 2006/07 to the tune of 120,000 Ksh. to start a posho mill. 

From their revolving fund of Ksh 70,000, the group diversified into livestock and horticulture farming. Today the group has 10 dairy cows, 14 mature pigs and 3 acres under horticultural production (kales, spinach, local vegetables like managu, kunde etc).
Dairy cows
Pig production

The group has constantly supplied the local communities with clean and high quality milk and a continuous supply of vegetables even when it’s dry since they undertake bucket irrigation.
Other ongoing activities include construction of soil conservation structures and agro-forestry tree nurseries done in collaboration with Kenya Forest Service.