PRACTICING SAWBO RAISED PLANTING BEDS VIDEO ANIMATION LESSONS IN LUREKO

By gabriel Ingubu

 PRACTICING SAWBO RAISED PLANTING BEDS VIDEO ANIMATION LESSONS IN LUREKO

Livingstone Okhasia attending to crops on raised beds   Photo by Gabriel Ingubu

About agriculture in Lureko, Mumias

Way before colonization, Mumias town was known as Lureko. Lureko comes from a Luhya word Okhureka which means to trap. The Wanga kingdom where Mumias is situated is historically known to as a center of trade where goods and services were exchanged with neighbouring communities and Arabs from the coast of Kenya. The ruler of the kingdom, King Mumia enacted his headquarters in Lureko where he ruled the kingdom and carried out economic activities and interacted with religious leaders. Those who visited the headquarters indicated they stated `I am going to Mumia’s `. Hence the birth of the name.

The warm and wet climate, arable soil and hardworking people of Mumias are a good fit for agriculture as the main economic activity. The town that once marvelled courtesy of Mumias sugar milling factory is now struggling to maintain her name. The farmers who used to do commercial cane growing are now turning to subsistence farming because the factory is no longer operating. Caught unaware, many farmers have been forced to utilize their farms on cereals, vegetables and other food crops but due to lack of proper knowledge they can`t meet the demands of the town. 

According to Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) 2022 Report, Mumias area had 21,538 ha under sugar cane in 2017 reduced to 274 ha in 2021. The report also show that indigenous vegetables (African Leafy Vegetables) nationally had reduced from 56,136 ha producing 299,628 tons worth Kshs. 8.85 billion in 2020 to 44,976 ha producing 277, 929 tons worth Kshs 8.26 billion in 2021. Different vegetables contributed differently to these figures with Nightshade being the highest posting 28.3%. Cowpeas, spider plant, leafy Amaranthas and pumpkin fruits gave 26.7%, 14.9%, 13.0% and 8.2% respectively. 

Since the introduction of Scientific Animation without Borders (SAWBO) into Lureko, what was just a thought is now turning into a reality with more farmers taking notes from the videos and applying them on their farm. Based in the United States of America, SAWBO group dispenses its videos on YouTube in variant languages. To accelerate sharing of the content, it has created partnerships with likeminded organizations and individuals to help disseminate the content wild and wide to the deepest villages where internet friendly equipment and platforms are considered a luxury.  

Matawa village, about five kilometers to the west of Mumias town harbors SAWBO demonstration farm. Through the efforts of Global Youth Groove (GYG) a collaborator of SAWBO, the farm that sits on a nine acres piece of land has turned into a community learning centre on conservational agriculture which advocates for pure organic produce invisibly fighting climate change and conspicuously advocating for not only food security but also safe food free from chemicals responsible for non-communicable diseases. “The secret of healthy food is in feeding the soil that feeds the crop.’’ Says Mr. Paul Lutomia farm supervisor as he welcomes me. “We collect all the waste from animals and plants turn it into manure then use for crop production.’’  He added. The farm is expected to harvest about eight turns of compost manure that they have prepared with the use of biodegradable materials collected on the farm mixed with animal waste. “After watching SAWBO video on preparing compost manure, we realized that we have more than enough materials on this farm already” said Livingstone Okhasia who also manages the farm. Livingstone and Paul and other farm employees are determined in making sure that the farm maximizes on all the resources available to produce healthy food. 

 
Paul Lutomia and Livingstone preparing raised planting beds. photo by Gabriel Ingubu

Vegetable production is Paul`s `swimming pool`. On the farm, He has embraced raised beds land preparation system where most African leafy vegetables are done besides exotic ones. “Raised beds system is the best approach in preparing land for better yields especially for vegetables.” He said as he showed me the made beds ready to plant. The Ten plots of 2 by 9 meters beds have the capability of producing 100 kilograms each per week. “We raise the fine soil up to one and half feet high for water retention and separate a bed from each other by a trench which also serve as a walkway.” said Paul. “You are not supposed to step on the bed but can bend to half then cross over the other side to finish the other half. That is why we do two meters width.” He emphasized. Generally, demand for vegetables in Mumias town is very high especially during low rain season that picks up from November to March. “Most farmers here depend on rain, but on this farm, we have gone an extra mile to drill a borehole for irrigation.” he said. 

Demarcating the farm plots with arrow roots is the highest level of land utilization. Around the vegetable area, is a fence of 2500 stems that have the ability of fetching up to KShs. 250000 (about $2500) when all other factors are kept constant. Practicing climate smart agriculture as shown on SAWBO videos, the farm can withstand the adverse challenges of weather and maintain at the peak in organic food production.

          Arrow roots demarcating the vegetable beds         photo by Gabriel Ingubu

Farming with raised planting beds is a great way to keep your crop safe and increase your yields. This agricultural technique reduces soil compaction and improves the quality of the soil. It protects your plants during times of excess rainfall. This animation describes how to implement this technique and how to maintain your new raised planting beds. Sawbo Raised Planting Beds video. These photos show the various stages of practicing raised planting beds. 


    Ready cow pea that has formed canopy on two beds.    photo by Gabriel Ingubu

Science doesn't lie! Raised bed farming method is proving to be the right way of doing vegetable farming. On Matawa Sawbo demo farm,  putting information from Sawbo videos in practice is doing fantastic. Ready cow pea that has formed canopy on two beds. The vegetable is pure organic. 

 

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