| FORMAT’s Innovators Program
FORMAT recognizes that many promising innovations in organic resource management never reach their full potential through lack of resources and recognition. To overcome this limitation, we have initiated an Innovators Program that provides funds and peer support to applicants with works in progress. The first group of innovators was selected from outstanding participants at past FORMAT events. Each was required to prepare a short proposal and work plan prior to receiving their awards. The assistance from this program has enabled the innovators, listed below, to refine and field test their products and technologies through a modest financial award and the opportunity to attend all of the FORMAT Countrywide events. In addition, their innovations have received nationwide attention because FORMAT co-produced seven television features covering these innovations that were broadcast on Kenyan television. A video CD containing these short documentaries has been compiled and is available upon demand from the FORMAT office.
FORMAT Innovators, their projects and contact details
Alice Nakhumicha Masinde, Appropriate Rural Development Agriculture Programme (ARDAP), Processing and marketing of dried traditional green vegetables, P.O. Box 11, Bar-Ober, Busia; email: ardapkenya@access350.co.ke
Jane Wanjiku Thuo, 3KM Self Help Group, Production, processing and marketing of grain amaranth, P.O. Box 220, Thika. Email: wathuojane@yahoo.com
Mary Goretti Ohanya Kariaga, Mount Pleasant Mushroom Consultants, Oyster Mushroom production from organic waste, P.O. Box 1895, Kisumu. Email: mkariaga@yahoo.com
Caroline Sudi, Perfect Occasions, Fusion of traditional vegetables/foods with modern ones, P.O. Box 1528, G.P.O., 00100, Nairobi. Email: carolsudi@yahoo.com
Nicholas Wood, The Millennium Fuel Project, Production and use of fuel briquettes from organic wastes, P.O. Box 15010, Langata, 00509, Nairobi. Email: nickwood@iconnect.co.ke
City Park Environmental Protection Group, Fortified compost production and marketing, P.O. Box 79, Village Market, 00621, Nairobi. Email: savalacn@yahoo.com
Dried Traditional Green Vegetables
Smallhold farmers risk being marginalized by commercial producers and brokers in supplying the ever-expanding market for traditional green vegetables. Ironically, the opportunities for value-added pre-processing through cutting, drying and packaging are labor intensive and well suited to smallholder production. An innovation of interest is the “Instant mboga” which consists of dried vegetables packed with dried tomato, onion and groundnut or simsim sauce, ready for cooking. This package greatly reduces the time required for preparing traditional vegetables. Taste panels were assembled during selected FORMAT events to determine consumer acceptance of “instant mboga”. A total of 500 participants were picked at random and provided samples of cooked dried and fresh vegetables and asked to complete a short questionnaire. The results follow.
Clearly, opportunity exists for instant mboga within the Kenyan marketplace. FORMAT and ARDAP are working together in Busia to realize this opportunity. A solar drier was installed and 10 on-farm demonstrations held. A market exhibition attended by 122 participants was conducted in November of 2004 at the Bumala trading centre. Demonstrations were carried out in 30 households within Butula division of Busia district. Standard packages for the dried vegetables and a handbook on production and processing are now being developed.
Grain Amaranth: A New Crop for Kenya’s Farmers
Grain amaranth production has the potential to improve the income of small scale farmers in Kenya. The production and marketing of grain amaranth is being undertaken jointly by FORMAT and 3KM Self Help Group in Makuyu, Central Kenya. Demonstration plots were established and later used in training local farmers and other stakeholders from different parts of the country on the production of grain amaranth. A field day attended by over 70 participants representing farming and community groups, business, and research and development organizations was conducted at the site in February 2005.
Amaranth grows in loose soil. It can tolerate a wide range of soil conditions. It requires a spacing of 2 feet by 6 inches. Germination takes three to four days. Weeding between rows is then done after two weeks. It is advisable to thin the plant after three weeks, leaving at first three plants per hole then one plant after two more weeks, to give it enough air and sunlight. Storage pests, largely weevils and grain borers, do not attack the amaranth grains, which minimizes post-harvest grain losses. The crop is harvested within 75 days from the day of planting and yields 3 tonnes per hectare on average. At the current market price of KSh 50,000 per tonne, a farmer would realize up to KSh 150,000 (US $2,000). This payback potential is enormous and needs to be exploited by farmers. The high protein content of grain amaranth makes it a suitable candidate for fortifying foods for children and disaster relief, which may create a strong market for the crop. The post-harvest residues can be used to make silage or hay, or as firewood.
Oyster Mushroom Production: An Income Generating Technology Targeted for Small-Scale Farmers
A project in Oyster mushroom production was initiated by FORMAT and Mount Pleasant Mushroom Consultants based in Kisumu. Mushrooms are grown in a substrate of organic matter with high cellulose content such as maize stover, grass, wheat or rice straw and sugarcane bagasse. Laboratories produce spawn (mushroom seed) on wheat, barley or maize. Mushrooms are grown in a structure made from locally available materials that can maintain cool temperatures and high humidity, preferably clay or bricks.
To produce mushrooms, waste material is chopped and immersed in water overnight, then placed in boiling water for twenty minutes, after which it is drained and cooled to 250C. The moisture content of the substrate should be about 70%. Spawn is applied as 1% of the wet substrate and mixed. The fungi grow for 21 days in total darkness in a closed room; afterward light and humidity are introduced by opening the windows and vents in the mushroom house for 10 to 12 days. Humidity is further increased by spraying. The first mushrooms are ready 5 to 7 weeks after inoculation. They continue to form for several weeks and are harvested every 6 to10 days. After the final harvest, the bags are removed and spent substrate used as compost. The room should be thoroughly cleaned between production cycles to avoid carryover of pests or diseases.
A newspaper article on “The health and economic potential of mushrooms” was published by The East African Standard. In March 2005, a demonstration on oyster mushroom production and processing was conducted in Busia and attended by 250 participants. Mary Kariaga, who participated in this project, produced 120 kg of oyster mushrooms in a small room making a profit of KSh 37,630 in only three months. Surely, this production can be achieved by many others given the necessary tools and information!
Fusion of Traditional Green Vegetables with Contemporary Cuisines
One constraint to the further popularization of traditional green vegetables is the misconception by many consumers that these vegetables may be prepared in only a limited number of ways. FORMAT seeks to better integrate traditional green vegetables into contemporary cuisine through an Innovator Award to Caroline Sudi of Perfect Occasions. Traditional vegetables that are being utilized include amaranth, night shade, pumpkin, cowpea, crotalaria and spider plant. Several recipes were developed by Perfect Occasions working with chefs at the Norfolk Hotel. These recipes included groundnut-amaranth soup, cowpea spinach in sour cream, pumpkin dumplings and mboga lasagna.
These dishes were served to hotel and invited guests in an informal setting at the Poolside Restaurant on 28 February 2005. The taste panel included Kenyans and international visitors as well as chefs from the hotel. Also present was a film crew from the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation. Everyone was extremely enthusiastic about the dishes served, so much so that FORMAT is continuing the project for a second year and a more systematic attempt is being made to document and popularize these preparations. The television documentary filmed at the Norfolk Hotel was later broadcast on Kenyan television. This airing has resulted in several requests for more information and training on the fusion of traditional and contemporary cuisine.
Fuel Briquettes from Organic Waste
Fuel briquettes are a viable alternative to charcoal and kerosene. Organic wastes are being identified and processed into cylindrical briquettes using a wooden hand press. The briquettes have varying burning characteristics depending on the source material. A live demonstration on the production and utilization of fuel briquettes was conducted at the Kiambu, Kisii and Kisumu Countrywide events. Copies of a brochure and book chapter reprints on fuel briquettes were distributed to participants at these events. A specially designed demonstration that integrates production of briquettes with preparation of various foods using a fuel efficient briquette stove was conducted in Nairobi in March 2005. The event was recorded and broadcast as a feature on two national television stations. The recipes comprised traditional vegetables, grain amaranth flour, maize, sweet potatoes and beef. The food was served to guests attending the demonstration and all of them encouraged FORMAT and Millennium Fuel Project to extend the technology to rural communities. The stove will be modified to make it affordable to rural households. Commercial production of fuel briquettes will also be promoted.
Briquettes are made from dry leaves, paper, sawdust, coffee husks, banana leaves and many other organic materials. The material is mixed and soaked for 12 hours then pounded into a fine mash using a mortar and pestle. The mash is loaded into a cylinder that is pressed using a piston to squeeze the water out from the material. The briquette is then removed, dried in the sun and stored in a cool dry place. Briquettes burn twice as long as charcoal, produce less smoke and are cleaner to handle and store.
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