Climate change phenomena is a complex and challenging global issue. These changes has greatly impacted on the agricultural production and other related activities especially to small scale farmers who wholly depend on rain fed agriculture.
Network for Ecofarming in Africa (NECOFA) works with community groups, promoting environmental friendly concerns for poverty eradication, food and nutrition security. During its activities with the groups, the organization learnt the impact posed on communities livelihoods hence necessitated the need for capacity building on climate issue. Some of the groups involved in the programme included Tazama Mbele Self Help Group, Karunga women group, Utugi Self help group and Nganoine self help group.
A challenge leads to invention, after going through different lessons on importance of respecting our environment, the groups has taken different initiatives to enhance mitigation and adapt to climate change i.e. Nganoine and Utugi self help groups are growing drought resistant crops e.g. pumpkin, sorghum and indigenous vegetables. Besides growing the crops, they have also taken initiative of adding value e.g. drying pumpkins and grinding to flour to prolong the shelf life. The flour is used to blend other types of flour and make stew to improve the nutrition value.
Other groups like Karunga women group, Tazama Mbele, Vision self help group and others with support from Necofa established indigenous tree nurseries in focus to rehabilitate forest and also plant on individual farms. Besides rehabilitation of the forest, the groups will sell to the community at affordable price hence ensuring sustainability of the project. To date the groups has nurseries with a total of more than 20,000 seedlings each which are ready for planting.
