Long-Term Food Security for 4000 Samburus in Kenya

Recently, we had the pleasure of chatting with Sadhana Forest Kenya’s Tree Nursery Manager and long time friend of Sadhana Forest, Joseph.

Tell me about yourself:
     I’m from Lkichaki village and I am 65 years old—a member of the Lkiroro age-set (during adolescence all Samburu males are assigned to an age cohort in which they remain for the rest of their lives, ed.).  I have a wife, seven children, and two grandchildren.  Of my children one is a girl, six are boys, and they all attend (or have attended) school; their ages range from 10 to 26 years old.

What did you do before getting involved with Sadhana Forest?
     I worked in many places far from home, mostly as a driver.  I had to hustle for work because all my jobs were short term contracts.  I drove for the Kenya Times delivering newspapers at night in Nairobi and I was a driver for the Christian Children’s Fund, World Vision, and Arid Lands.
     When I grew older and it was harder to find work and be so far from home, I came back to my home in Samburu where I thought I could have a small farm.  I always wanted to plant trees, so when I came back to my land in the year 2000, I planted over 500 trees but almost all of them died.  One tree that did survive, though, was a lemon tree.  When Sadhana Forest Kenya first came to our area in 2014, my first connection with them was selling them lemons from that tree.  Later, I joined them to help plant many of the trees that are now growing on their campus.  In 2015 they offered a Permaculture Design Certificate course, hosting students from Samburu County and from all over the world, which I also enrolled in.  I wanted to learn how I could plant food-bearing trees and help them survive in this climate.  Here there is almost no water and with climate change it doesn’t rain much anymore.  I wanted to grow trees and also have a greater variety of food and fruit to eat—ones that we typically don’t have here.  Sadhana Forest teaches agroforestry with very little water and how to get trees to grow in a dry area like this.

Tell me about a typical day here:
     I now manage the tree nurseries and the vegetable gardens at Sadhana Forest Kenya.  I plant tree seeds as well as vegetables, and care for the tree seedlings that are waiting to be planted out in the community.  I weed the nurseries and water them.  I also take care of the experimental moveable shade nurseries.
     A big task that I have is protecting the nurseries, trees, and plants from baboons.  Because of the drought, the baboons often try to break into the nurseries, destroying the structures and eating many of the trees and plants.  But the baboons also helped me discover how to propagate more pomegranate trees!  One day when they ripped fruits and many branches off some of the exposed pomegranate trees around the nurseries, I collected the branches and planted them like cuttings.  They grew into beautiful pomegranate seedlings and are now being planted at homes in the community!

What has Sadhana Forest changed about your life?
     For me personally, my work at Sadhana Forest has allowed me to sustainably provide for my family in my old age.  It is the first work I have had close to home where I can live within my own community.  I commute by walking every morning and evening, which is also good for my health.  Sadhana Forest is really doing a great job in the community.  The trees are giving us shade, food, fruit, and medicine - like the Moringa tree that improves health through better nutrition.  People are learning about trees—they now know the importance of not cutting them down.  We don’t get much rain anymore because of climate change, otherwise maybe we would have even more trees around.  We can no longer do agriculture the way we have in the past and all our livestock is dying because of repeated droughts.  Sadhana Forest provides a way for families to support themselves.  Adopting the Sadhana Forest method helps us to develop and progress.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
     I say to Sadhana Forest: Thank you, we love you, and we need you to stay here forever and ever.

Thank you, Joseph, for those kind words and for being such an important and passionate supporter of Sadhana Forest Kenya!  And thank you to all of our donors, volunteers, and GlobalGiving.  If you would like to provide feedback, learn more about our projects, or if you are interested in volunteering with us, please email us at kenya@sadhanaforest.org.

Ashe Oleng! (“Thank you very much!” in Kisamburu)

Thank you to everyone who supported Sadhana Forest Kenya on Giving Tuesday.  We’re always deeply moved to see you showing up for us in all the ways that you do!

Since our last report we have happily received some heavy rainfalls and some much needed relief from the drought.  Our team has been planting trees nearly every day and recently travelled farther afield on two occasions for extended overnight tree planting trips.  With our handy Mobile Reforestation Unit, multiple days were spent working with other semi-nomadic pastoralist communities to implement tree planting and water conservation projects.  What an incredibly positive experience!  Our Samburu team members found it especially meaningful to share their expertise with other communities of Kenya and to receive so much gratitude and positive feedback.  These trips were truly motivating and fun!

Currently, the team is planting many moringa trees closer to our center.  Moringa trees are one of the hardiest species we plant; they have thrived and continued to produce nutritious leaves through intense and prolonged droughts too harsh for many food producing species.  One of the places where planting is taking place is in a home where we planted moringa about four years ago.  Those trees have grown into some of the largest and most productive trees that we have planted so far.

Did you know that gift cards are available on GlobalGiving?  You choose the amount and the recipient gets to choose which charitable organization they’d like to support.  Check it out here: GlobalGiving Gift Cards and give the gift of giving!

 A big thank you to all of our donors, volunteers, and GlobalGiving.   If you would like to provide feedback, learn more about our projects, or if you are interested in volunteering with us, please email us at kenya@sadhanaforest.org. There is also an opportunity to leave a note at the end of this report.

Happy holidays and Ashe Oleng! (“Thank you very much!” in Kisamburu)

At last, it rained!  Here in Samburu County Kenya, we recently had the biggest rainfall in four years.  It provided enough water to fill the catchment ponds which hadn’t happened since the beginning of this drought.  Although it’s now been a couple of weeks since the rainfall, all of the surrounding vegetation is still green.  We’re making sure to savour this scenery knowing that that amount of rain will not likely happen again soon; the forecast predicts below average precipitation for the remainder of the year.  Nevertheless, we know that with the help of our water truck we can keep moving forward with planting food-bearing trees.  Our truck is fitted with all the supplies we need for planting trees farther afield – it is our Mobile Reforestation Unit.

We have long been looking forward to planting trees and providing training in more remote communities but the hardships of the recent years made the expansion of our services extremely challenging.  However, we recently scouted locations for future food forest projects and made encouraging connections with numerous communities as far away as Lake Turkana in the north of Kenya.  Several of these locations have the potential to become highly productive food forests in that they are unique micro-climates nestled in rainy mountain valleys; like oases surrounded by desert.  Other regions we visited are suffering from debilitating arid conditions where we will focus on designing intense water conservation systems and planting small and productive food forests.  We are keen on catering each project to the needs of the people where they live.  Our goal is to begin collaborations before the end of the year.

Thank you to all of our volunteers, donors, and everyone at GlobalGiving!  If you would like to provide feedback, learn more about our projects, or if you are interested in volunteering with us, please email us at kenya@sadhanaforest.org.  There is also an opportunity to leave a note at the end of this report.

Ashe Oleng! (“Thank you very much!” in Kisamburu)

We are so excited to report that a full week of rain recently fell here in Samburu County; the most in over two years!  It was a celebratory time seeing the wild grasses and foliage lush and green.  Although it is once again parched, we are left with the optimistic reminder of how quickly these landscapes can recuperate.  It continues to be the worst drought and food crisis in Kenya’s recent history.  We at Sadhana Forest Kenya (SFK) continue planting and caring for drought-resistant food-bearing trees because little by little, tree by tree, we are helping regenerate Earth and establish long term food security in Samburu, Kenya.

During March and April (local students’ time off between academic levels) three different school groups came to stay at SFK for two-week work experience programs.  There were 20 students in each mixed-gender group; two secondary school groups and one of recent high school graduates.  Every student received training in Permaculture and dryland tree-planting techniques.  Subsequently, they put their newly acquired skills into practice on projects at the SFK Community Agro-Forestry Learning Centre as well as out in the Samburu community.  These keen young people had a great time while learning, gaining work experience, and participating hands-on in environmental conservation and food security projects.  Hosting such programs nurtures the meaningful relationship between SFK and the youth of Samburu.  This up-and-coming generation is empowered to move towards their future knowing that they determine the sustainability of their livelihoods.

It brings us great joy to let you know SFK continues to be a haven for Kenyan animals during these times of drought.  The elephants have stayed close and even welcomed a number of newborns into the world!  Birds, antelopes, a variety of small mammals, and even a leopard have been spotted nearby.  We are honored to have this motley of wildlife grace us with their company.

This crucial work is made possible with the support of volunteers, donors, and GlobalGiving; thank you all!  If you would like to provide feedback, learn more about our projects, or if you are interested in volunteering with us, please email us at kenya@sadhanaforest.org.  There is also an opportunity to leave a note at the end of this report.

Ashe Oleng! (“Thank you very much!” in Kisamburu)

We are very happy to report that as covid-19 restrictions are easing, we are able to resume our larger outreach programs. For example, at one local school in nearby Lodokejek area, the senior students have been actively caring for close to 50 trees on their school’s grounds. They have chosen it as their goal to create their own tree nursery, expand the tree planting, and turn the bare grounds into a forest. It is inspiring to work with such enterprising and determined young people.

Recently, we have also started a collaboration with a women’s jewellery-making collective in a neighbouring village called Naiborkeju. Now that they’ve seen their business generate income and transform their lives, they want to transform their environment as well. Their goal is to grow their own food and create a more habitable and nourishing place to live, work, raise their families, and thrive. In doing so, they will be more self-reliant and less dependent on government and foreign aid. This is yet another inspiring example of hard-working people who want the best for their home. We are so excited to support these groups every step of the way with their ambitious and important projects.

Although the last few months we have faced continued drought with tree-nibbling elephants, we know it will get better. We are seeing weather forecasts of at least average levels of precipitation on the way. It will take several of such seasons to fully recover from the drought’s damage, but it will bring relief to people, vegetation, and wildlife. It also means the local elephants will have more sources of food! Fortunately, they haven't caused much damage to the trees we planted, and those trees that were "trimmed" will grow back stronger. In the meantime, we are so grateful to have such a high-capacity water truck. It has allowed us to continue planting trees and delivering water in these times of severe drought – it is a lifesaver!

Thank you to all of our volunteers, donors, and everyone who supports us in any way. Thank you to GlobalGiving for this platform on which to reach you all! As always, if you are interested in providing feedback concerning our project, learning more about our activities/operations, or would like to volunteer with us, please email us at kenya@sadhanaforest.org. There is also an opportunity to provide feedback at the end of this report.

Ashe Oleng! (“Thank you very much!” in Kisamburu)