At least 30 families in a village at Kangirega Farm have a reason to smile thanks to a project aimed at addressing malnutrition. The project dubbed IMPACT, supported by PanAfricare, has transformed the dry lands into green vegetable fields that have helped improve nutrient standards, especially among lactating mothers and their young ones. Each member has 0.5 acres that they use to grow highly nutritious crops. Sarah Epua, a lactating mother of four, is full of praise for the project, saying she is now occupied on her farm cultivating sweet potatoes, green grams, maize, pumpkin, and sorghum. The farm is integrated with a number of crops and is currently benefiting at least thirty farmers directly, with a larger number of indirect beneficiaries. Sarah is an active farmer who spends her time working on the farm because that is where she gets her daily income as well as vegetables for her family. ‘Before the programme, life was tough, and my children were very thin because of lack of food. Now I can sell my vegetables, and even the livestock have increased because I am feeding them using the maize stocks from my harvests during the long dry seasons,’ a joyous Sarah said. Indeed, Sarah is a testament to the number of repeat harvests, sustainability, and resilience that have led to a better life, both in reducing malnutrition and improving household income. However, there is still more that needs to be done to support more committed farmers in marketing their produce. If what Sarah and her fellow farmers are saying and practicing is adopted by other residents in the area, a brighter life and food-secure population are guaranteed. To improve access to nutritious diets, PanAfricare rolled out the project, which has been impactful in communities. The IMPACT Programme’s goal is to reduce the rates of malnutrition among children, pregnant women, and lactating women in Katilu and Turkwel wards of Turkana County by improving access, availability, and utilisation of nutritious, diversified diets.
Source: Kenya News Agency