Residents of Unjiru village, Kirimukuyu ward in Mathira constituency listen keenly as they get sensitised on the benefits of organic foods
By Charles Kinyua
Growing and eating organically grown foods is the surest way of reducing if not eradicating the prevailing lifestyle diseases.
Ironically, the prevalence of the ailments is in the Mt Kenya region where agriculture is the mainstay of the economy and where almost all foods grow well.
Addressing farmers at Unjiru village in Mathira, Nyeri county, Effective IPM Association CEO Dr. Nehemiah Mihindo advised residents to avoid using medicine as food but embrace use of food as medicine.
The farmers training session held at the farm of Stephen Miriri resolved to get get together and grow fruit trees for both domestic and commercial consumption.
Over 50 members registered in their newly formed Gituri Fruit Growers and resolved to plant over 2000 fruit trees this rainy season that is expected to start in the next two weeks.
Further to Dr. Mihindo’s advice, all the farmers resolved to utilise compost manure that is readily available within their homestead or at least in the neighborhood. They also agreed that only organic pesticides would be used.
Avocado, macadamia, pixie oranges, apples and pawpaws were the farmers choices their new farming focus to augment to their returns from their current cash crop-coffee.
Though most farmers in the area own small pieces of land; some as small as a quarter acre it was agreed the fruit farming is quite viable as in most instances the distance between one tree and the other is roughly six metres.
In answer to questions on marketing after the trees mature, Dr. Mihindo assured the farmers that his organisation would link organised farmers to buyers.
Nyeri county leads in the country in forest coverage at over 40% but little emphasis has been put on the food producing trees with some areas covered by exotic trees.
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