Trip to Asembo in Siaya County, Kenya
PermoAfrica update - permaculture tales from the frontline
Paul Odiwuor Ogola
Report of My last week Trip to Asembo in Siaya County Kenya, at a Village called Mabinju which lies on the shores of Lake Victoria, close to the Winam Gulf and there's a small road connects it to the C28 highway.
The village life was active in the area with a need for humanitarian assistance as many young people, who being more energetic and could help to boost the village economy all divert their attention to gold mining and fishing at lake Victoria. Consequently this leaves behind the weak, the older people and children who could not produce to sustain the community economy & livelihoods, this has a big impact on livelihood activities and also the extent to which they were influenced by climate and environmental change.
The village relies on rainfed agriculture which was also highlighted as the leading livelihood, so change in rainfall patterns stress and affect the farming seasons, and the overall decline in harvesting, particularly in cereal crops and vegetables which is the mainstay of the farming livelihoods in the village, is having a big impact.
Again the village faces increased drought incidences owing to changes in climate and fueled by the natural drier conditions characteristic of the lake basin, owing to its climatological and geographical condition .
So above all these problems mentioned above were made clear to me by one of my permaculture students called Godfrey, who get knowledge through attending training in our community organic permaculture training center Homa bay in the past 3 years back. He thought it wise to team up with other energetic youths to introduce a project in their village called Livelihood vulnerability that assesses the vulnerability of livehoods to climate hazards which are believed to not only affect resources and assets but also livelihoods.
He organized a one week training for their village and he invited me and other permaculture facilitators to help training their community. The aim is to promote its members to engage in a driven sustainable village development, promoting food security and livelihood, integrated health, education and the beneficiaries of this project at village level is as focusses on poorer farmers, women/widows and widowers.
Above all Permaculture is the core and Centre of everything through the transformation needed for these people, so to my global brothers and sisters that's why its happen for me to attend the course as a permaculture facilitator.
Below are the pictures of my trip going to the place, teaching the community and the picture of my trip back to Homabay.
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