| The Kisii Event: Effective Utilization of Appropriate Technologies
The event was held on 14 October 2004 at Mwalimu Hotel, Kisii. It was organized by Better Organic Management (BOMA). BOMA is a CBO based in Kisii district that undertakes training of farmers in organic agriculture and waste management for energy production. The event included 58 invited participants and approximately 332 visitors, several youth and women groups, farmers, entrepreneurs and NGOs. The demonstrations conducted attracted large enthusiastic crowds. Exhibits and presentations covered value-added processing (12), waste management (8), information dissemination and extension (6), soil fertility management (15), resource conservation (7), and traditional foods and plants (10). Prizes were awarded to the outstanding exhibits in ‘Innovation and Community Service through Organic Resource Management’. The head judge was Mr. Macdonald Wesonga from Appropriate Rural Development Agriculture Programme (ARDAP). An exhibit on “Making Organic Chemicals from Plants” by Josephine Lisa of Mosocho Women Group won the first place. “Bees: Untapped Natural Resource” by Julius Maisiba of Mwamariita Youth Self Help Group took the second prize and B. Aminga’s exhibit “Utilizing Local Resources to Upgrade Local Chicken” was awarded the third place.
The Kisumu Event: Creating Wealth through Integrated Resource Management
Hyacinth Crafts, a micro-enterprise, and Community Livelihood Development Fund (COLIDEF), a Kisumu based NGO, organized the Kisumu event on 15 October 2004. The event was held at Kisumu Hotel Maseno University - City Campus located in the central business district of Kisumu city. A total of 26 talks and 51 exhibits were presented. A large number of the presentations and exhibits at the event were on value added processing (14) and soil fertility (11). Emphasis was placed upon the utilization of water hyacinth and papyrus, briquette-making, herbicides, urban waste management, value-added processing of traditional foods and plants, integrated soil fertility management and environment conservation. Research institutes attending the event included Maseno University and Kenya Agricultural Research Institute. Schools and colleges actively participated in the event. An exhibit on “Sweet Potato Utilization” by Salome Keny of Resource Project Kenya (RPK) won first place, second prize went to Samuel Orega of Resso Community Project exhibit on “Sustainable Agriculture-Bee Keeping using Langstroth Beehive”, and Willis Memo and Edna Aseso of Kisumu Core jointly took the third place with their exhibit on “Recycling of Market Waste for Organic Compost Production”.
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