Over the coming months Temwa are implementing a horticulture training project for members of the local community. There has been a lot of activity in the agriculture training centre to prepare for the start of these training sessions.

During the last season's vegetable production over the dry summer months, it was observed that there were a lot of pests and diseases attacking the plants. To combat this problem using organic and sustainable agricultural methods, the decision was taken to grow maize during the rainy season as a rotation crop to prevent further diseases building up in the soil. During this season's vegetable production, companion planting methods will also be used to encourage the predators of the pests to take up residence in the garden to maintain a healthy balance of insect populations. Various herbs, and flowers such as marigolds will be planed alongside the vegetables to achieve this.

After all the planning meetings to prepare the plot for this season's vegetable growing and training sessions were held in April, the Maize was harvested in early May and the land was prepared for the formation of pit and trench beds. These pits and trenches have been filled with green compostable material such as the dead maize plants and then covered over with cattle manure and soil. This system provides maximum fertility for the growing season. Seed beds were also created and seeds sown ready for the transplanting process that has already begun in earnest.

This year, all the plots in the centre will be used by Temwa. All the other graduated farmers that formerly held plots have now left to implement the skills they acquired at the training centre to their home plots and make way for another wave of community members to be trained. Temwa Project Assistant, Benson Chiumia, still manages the agricultural training centre and is confident of another extremely productive year.

The vegetable beds take shape

A compost pit filled with maize plants

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