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The Kakamega Event: Wealth Creation and Sound Organic Resource Management

 

This event was conducted on 25 November 2003 by Resource Projects Kenya (RPK) and hosted by Chavakali High School. RPK was a founding member of FORMAT and implements programs on food security and community empowerment in western Kenya. The event was intended to serve the needs of stakeholders in the Western Province but was also attended by visitors from Nyanza and Rift Valley. The partnership between RPK and Chavakali High School was unique and made a significant contribution to the success of the event. The students and teachers benefited from the presentations and exhibits as some selected topics and technologies for the Secondary School Scientific Congress, and also had a practical experience with some of the approaches in resource management that they learn in class. It was remarkable that teachers organized for the meals and meeting hall, and handled other logistics. The organizers provided meals to all the invited participants and visitors but this proved a challenge due to the large number of participants leading to delays in serving meals and returning to the scheduled activities. 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A demonstration on smallholder irrigation by APPROTEC. exhibited at all the FORMAT events

 

The event proved challenging for exhibitors in the early stages given the large numbers of students and visitors. Unlike in the other one-day events, four demonstrations were conducted (smallholder irrigation equipment, evaluating manure and compost quality, processing waste into fibre and products, and extracting pesticide from neem). There were 19 presentations and 46 exhibits in innovation, value-added processing, and education and outreach. The event mobilized several CBOs who exhibited their work. Participants highlighted new knowledge learned including herbal medicine, waste recycling and value-added processing, integrated smallholder resource management and the value of organic resources in food and income generation. Specifically, participants learned of mushroom production, uses of banana fibre, value of traditional green vegetables and much about the neem tree. During 2004, FORMAT intends to present awards to the best students and teachers in agriculture in the school. The school offered to support future activities including establishment of an agricultural resource center within the school. Noel Asamula of Isiekuti Organic Farming Youth Group won the First Place for the exhibit on ‘Horticultural Farming’. Patrick Musamula of Floral Products Agencies won the Second Prize for ‘Resource Development, Utilization and Conservation’ and Third Place went to Hannington Ogutu for an exhibit on ‘Papyrus Handicrafts’

 

The active participation by representatives of women groups and farmers was evident during panel discussion sessions at the Kakamega event. These events allowed FORMAT to realize better gender balance unlike in the national events previously organized in Nairobi. Finally, the platform was closer to its stakeholders who previously could not attend the national events.

 


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