Sustainable Opportunities for Livelihood Advancement and Revitalization (SOLAR)

Project Background

Organic Technology Extension and Promotion Initiative Centre (OTEPIC) founded in 2008, is a community based not-for profit organization working in Trans-Nzoia County. OTEPIC is dedicated to promoting permaculture holistic principles to low cost, biologically based, environmentally friendly and economically viable strategies for increasing productivity for small holder farm families in order to achieve social and economic sustenance. OTEPIC targets economically and socially disadvantaged small-scale farm families and more importantly women at the grass root level. OTEPIC was initiated to tackle the problems of deforestation, soil erosion, food insecurity, high pest prevalence, bio-diversity loss, water problems and health problems. Activities include low input sustainable ecological agriculture/permaculture, Bee keeping, Agroforestry, Semi zero grazing, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Soil erosion control, Kitchen gardens and table banking.

OTEPIC Kenya also supports young people and families in overcoming challenges such as rehabilitation, stress, family issues, drug abuse, and struggles with finding purpose in life. By unlocking the potential of African youth, OTEPIC offers alternative path, helping them discover their purpose through education. Through OTEPIC Kenya, individuals learn how to create their own employment opportunities and develop projects that positively impact their lives and communities.

The project

The Organization’s ongoing projects have in the last few years widened the crops genetic diversity substantially in target communities, created awareness and technical knowledge among the farmers, initiated home gardens – providing seeds for stocking and multiplication purposes, improving food security and enhancement of nutritional value enriched with several varieties of traditional vegetables. These efforts have worked towards establishment of community savings/banks. To maximize the benefits accruing from the ongoing projects, OTEPIC is constructively working towards laying a base for bringing about food value addition through the promotion of solar dryers, focusing on strengthening the community’s ability of conserving the harvested vegetables and seeds with minimal wastage for marketing.  OTEPIC believes that solar dryer systems for drying food and other crops can improve the quality of the product, while reducing wastage of produce and traditional fuels - thus improving the quality of life.

However, the availability of the most needed information on solar food processing systems that are appropriate, affordable, sustainable for small scale farmers is lacking, hence the need to provide the needed intervention is crucial and urgent. It is observed elsewhere and witnessed that the performance of various individuals, medium and large-scale food processing systems with incorporated solar drying technology is working.  Demonstrated achievements through individual, medium and large scale commercial applications were also studied, emphasizing appropriate solar technology transfer for rural areas.  It is therefore our aim to start incorporating this technology into our project activities. This proposal is tailored at seeking financial assistance to help implement this SOLAR project over a two-year period as a pilot phase. The project budget amounts to Ksh 6158900.  This would be used for training ten affiliated groups of farmers on the fabrication, installation and utilization of solar dryers in the processing and preservation of indigenous vegetables and seeds for the market.

Goal

The goal of this project is to train ten OTEPIC affiliate group of farmers over a two year period comprising of women and youth who are participating in OTEPIC projects, on the fabrication, installation and utilization of solar dryers in the processing and preservation of indigenous vegetables and seeds for the market to sustainably increase their income.

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Objectives

1.     Introduce value addition and solar dryers facilities to conserve harvested indigenous vegetables and seeds for markets

2.     Improve marketing systems through formation of market and value addition groups to increase the prices of the farm products

3.     Gathering of relevant information and technologies through visiting the already established  agencies to improve organizational performance in meeting the client needs

4.     Use of information technology and internet to expand community knowledge on relevant project development issues

5.     Improve staff performance for better organization and projects management

6.     Improve on OTEPIC’s networking, partnership and collaborations with likeminded organizations

7.     Promote indigenous vegetable seed diversity

Problem Statement

It is estimated that 30-40% of vegetables, seeds and fruits are lost due to poor post-harvest handling. The lack of firewood, which is necessary for drying and treatment of durable goods, is one of the major reasons for the loss. A very large proportion of food products in rural areas are destroyed before reaching the market resulting into big loses among the resource poor farmers thus further weakening their already poor economic status. Already in the communities it is observed that some food products are dried on the ground under the sun for long term storage and preservation. This is however, a slow unhygienic process which often takes many days and the products are not dried uniformly. In some cases some of the food products may be exposed to attack from bacteria which may make them unsuitable for human consumption. Also by using such modes crops are exposed to attacks from insects and fungi and may be polluted by dust. As a result of these the quality of the crop products decline leading to lower profits for farmers if intended for marketing.

This wastage may be reduced considerably if the products are dried before they are transported to the market. The advantages are obvious; solar energy is free and available virtually everywhere especially in the tropical climate. The fresh produce can be made durable in a cheap way and market value will be increased. Through fast drying and hygienic process the farmers can raise crop yield production and therefore able to generate additional income. This means up to 50% more productivity. The time needed for collecting firewood before, can now be used for various other activities and forest conservation can be enhanced as well.

Our aim is to install 10 solar dryers among the affiliated 10 community farmer groups with approximately over 300 trained farmers in the use of these solar dryers. Five craftsmen have already been consulted in the construction and installation of these solar dryers. Once implemented this project will contribute to an overall improvement of living conditions, reduction in domestic fire smoke, improved family health and nutrition, environmental protection and income generation. At the moment the project is to be implemented in the Rift Valley province of Kenya in Trans- Nzoia West and East sub-Counties and has the potential to be replicated in other neighboring communities.

Justification

Putting into consideration the fact that small-scale farmers will have the advantage of increasing their farm produce by utilizing what was normally lost in spoilage. Their products will also be eligible for market to areas where they may receive a higher price for their goods. Following our promotion on indigenous species, the harvested vegetables and seeds are now abundant in this region. With the right processing and ideal marketing strategies, such harvests will truly provide farmers with a good income, for the harvested crops and bulked seeds can be dried using solar dryers, then transported and sold in the major towns, or saved to be used during the dry season's food shortages.

In the past the dried crops processed in the dryers have been tested and marketed in various places in Kenya by other developing agencies. It is now known that they have a big market in some of our major towns such us Kitale, Eldoret, Nakuru, Kabsabet, Kakamega among others. The farmers’ groups could now meet the increased demand for town-based markets and still are guaranteed of local markets in the villages.  

Implementation Arrangements

To implement the project, OTEPIC will consult the expertise of recognized development agencies dealing with solar energy and training institutions in the region and/or with the collaborating international organizations to provide guidance on Program coordination and technical advice as well as backstopping wherever necessary during project implementation.

The farmers’ groups’ members would establish Project Steering Committees and Working Groups which will then coordinate the activities in every group of all the farmers’ groups that would be engaged in activities of safe and healthy vegetable production and seed preservation. In accordance with present local conditions, the project will form different partnerships, as identified by the OTEPIC management committee to create more avenues for product marketing. However, it is a crucial factor for success that agreement will eventually be reached between OTEPIC and the approached market institutions on the engagement of marketing the processed farm products.

At group level, the appointed group facilitators will ensure participatory interactions among participating farmer groups and will provide overall support and guidance. The facilitators will maintain a presence in all participating farmer groups through project staff duly seconded by OTEPIC administration. The project staff will work closely with the group facilitators for the respective farmer groups.

Project staff and group facilitators will perform the following functions at the level of individual farmer groups:

·       Advising OTEPIC management on behalf of the farmers’ groups on issues relating to the project implementation and community training needs

·       Engaging farmer groups on the planning, management and implementation of farmer education through demo sites establishment

·       Organizing training of every farmers’ group in order to establish self-reliant demonstration centres training capability in every farmers’ group

·       Organizing various project activities to improve the farmer’s skills and experience on indigenous vegetables cultivation, processing and marketing

·       Training farmers and thereby increase capacity and capability for the planning, management and implementation of the project for every demonstrational  centre

·       Focusing on indigenous vegetables, food value addition, crop solar drying and community needs and market demands, (including farmer action research, curriculum development, training of farmers, and program planning and market development).

·       A one week exchange travel for three people on food processing, traditional vegetables conservation efforts and use of solar dryers to an already identified project.

Participation Approach

The project focuses on developing synergies among the 10 farmer groups who would be involved in the implementation of this program. Also partnership will be forged between OTEPIC and regional and international organizations addressing a common problem, that of declining market for indigenous vegetables due to poor processing and conservation methods among rural communities, that may result in loss of agro-biodiversity as well as loss of opportunity to benefit from healthy vegetables consumed by Kenyans for generations.

Moreover, promoting more efficient indigenous vegetable cultivation and marketing will offer the opportunity to reduce poverty among resource-poor farmers. More specifically, this project will address two of the five priority areas outlined in the OTEPIC Action Plan, namely use of solar dryers to conserve the harvested crops and food value addition to improve farm products for marketability. In this respect, the project will support the building of ten community solar dryers for carrying out groups’ crop processing through which societies will have a more healthy diet that has more nutrition, medicinal and food values. In addition, a greater awareness of natural heritage and resources will encourage farmers to support an in-situ conservation programme for indigenous vegetables, thereby promoting environmental sustainability and preservation of traditional knowledge associated with growing and eating indigenous vegetables in all 10 community groups.  The working in groups would enhance collective processing, marketing and responsibility leading to benefits from economies of scale, hence enhanced incomes and better standards of living. This will also be a pioneer project for establishing marketing farmer groups engaged in indigenous crops production, processing and marketing.

To narrow the gap on crop post-harvest wastage, this project will foster greater efforts towards bringing about solar dryers integration for the benefits of the rural poor, especially in this economically constrained region  through a shared value of promoting indigenous vegetables and processing for marketing. To add up to this the following approaches shall also be incorporated during the implementation period;

1.     Community participation in planning, constructing and utilization of solar dryers

2.     Capital cost sharing by community for the construction and maintenance of the solar dryers

3.     Operation and maintenance of the solar dryers by the community

4.     Group strengthening and capacity building for the involved groups

5.     Involve group leaders for facilitating farmers’ participation in sustainable utilization of the solar dryers.

6.     Exposure meetings for farmers’ groups to relevant institutions

Beneficiaries

The ultimate beneficiaries of the project will be the affiliated groups of farmers who entirely dependent on small-scale farm production in Trans-Nzoia East and West Counties. Our focus will be to enable these resource poor families avoid high rates of crops spoilage during post harvest seasons. The project seeks to encourage these poor households to appreciate and promoted indigenous vegetables and seeds by maximizing their production to increase their total aggregate income.

The Expected Benefits

All studies that have been analyzed by OTEPIC show that the economical desirability of utilizing solar drying systems for small-scale farmers is worthwhile and has enormous benefits that would have immediate economical impact compared to other methods of crop drying.  The ability to control climate and hygiene add significant value to the products being treated.  The mango-drying example in Machakos County demonstrate that an over production of 10 tones of products was recuperated and placed in marketable condition because of this technology. 

The case of drying bananas in Uganda established that dried bananas from a solar tunnel dryer command a much higher price than the conventionally dried bananas and therefore could be a useful device for the value addition of agricultural products in developing countries like Kenya.  In summary the solar crop dryers are a cost effective solution to some of the problems of food preservation in sunny climates and for storage of surplus produce during seasons of plenty to wait seasons of scarcity as well as ease on transportation.

As we look ahead to what we intent to do, OTEPIC expects farmers to fully benefit from the use of solar dryers in the following ways:

1      Solar food drying is very simple to make and can easily be assimilated into most cultures

2      The use of solar dryer systems to conserve vegetables and other crops is practical, economical and environmentally friendly

3      Solar dryer systems improve the quality of the products, while reducing wasted produce and traditional fuels

4      Solar dried products reduce storage and transportation costs as well as associated problems from climatic effects

5      Solar dryers are a cost-effective solution to food preservation in sunny climates

6      Implementing the use of solar drying systems will result in significant savings to farmers and open new markets

7      Solar dryer systems improve the quality of life

8      Solar dryer system technology now in existence can be adapted to other agricultural needs

9      Small cottage industries are bound to develop and new investment opportunities for the rural areas using solar dryer based technologies

 Expected Output

1.     Development of 10 model solar dryers for ten farmers’ groups to help in drying the harvested seeds and vegetables so as to avoid spoilage as well as to enhance forest conservation through reduction on use of fuel wood.

2.     Trained farmers on the use of solar dryers’ food handling and packaging for quality products for the markets

3.      Acquire more in-depth information by collecting more information from the internet and other sources e.g. books, visiting similar initiatives, and exchange of information with other developed organization promoting similar initiatives.

4.      Regular site visit by OTEPIC staffs for monitoring technical advice to farmers.

5.     Researching availability of market and forging partnerships with other organizations to increase the quantity supplied

6.     Purchase of the necessary documented literature on our area of interest and other resource manuals on value addition and solar dryers to aid during training

7.     Allocate farmers’ groups’ leaders time for internet use and group members to have lessons through video shows, also provide appropriate websites to browse  and study questions to be answered

8.     Establish partnerships with other international organizations for exchange of ideas and information.

9.     Training of staff on financial management for non-financial managers

10.  Empowerment and capacity building on solar dryers for farmers’ groups to function as resource centres to aid micro-enterprises at the village level.

 Indicators of Progress

The progress indicators would include the following among others;

1.     Impact Assessment Results that will compare the outcome of the project with a baseline set at the onset of the project

2.     Amount earned by individual farmers

3.     Regular progress reports

4.     Quantity of vegetables supplied per year

5.     The quantity demanded and supplied per season

6.     The technical level meetings/discussions to harmonize institutional cooperation in implementation

7.     Solar driers installed and functional

Measurable Success Indicators

1.     The total number of farmer facilitators trained

2.     Total number  of farmers educated during the training sessions at the established project demonstration sites

3.     Number of seminars/workshops organized to bring awareness to extension workers and the community at large.

4.     The number of educational visits made and the forged partnership with other organizations

5.     Number of  staffs, farmers and board members who would visit similar initiatives in other development agencies

6.     Number of attendance during workshops

7.     Adoption of the solar dryers integrated project by the targeted community groups

8.     Number of books purchased and the available information documented

9.     Established partnerships and number of quality interaction attained among participating groups

10.  Improvement of  OTEPIC staff performance both in the field and administratively

11.  Number of attendance during workshops