Muungano Development Gateway (MDG) in Kenya Launches New Projects and Improves Existing Ones

Update May 2011
By Chrisphine Ochieng Okumu, MDG

More Women Becoming Self-Sufficient and Independent Through Local Projects
Launch of Food Security Project

Muungano Development Gateway (MDG) improved its Women and Micro-credit Project by assisting more women: from 500 to 800 in the last three months. This increase occurred because of more volunteers coming in to assist with the projects.

MDG has launched a Food Security Project. This project will increase food at the household level. MDG managed to fund raise for the project, and is now assisting 1000 women in different community-based groups in western Kenya.
Upendo Widows Join Micro-credit Project

MDG has assisted Upendo widows who joined the Micro-credit Project.

The group has been in the project for the past two years. Group members are now proud of their work, and the MDG Micro-credit Project group members.

Each member in the group now owns a house and their businesses have grown.

They are now capable of sending their children to school, and they are now independent.
New Project:
Community Seed Production/Grain Legume Enterprise and Biological Nitrogen Fixation in Western Kenya
Vision

We see the future in which every farm family has the knowledge, materials, and support necessary to satisfy their basic needs.

At MDG, our vision is to become one of the most effective organizations and to serve more farmers.

It's equally important that those whose livelihoods depend on farming (MDG targets local village farmers) – those in local villages, are knowledgeable and prepared to consider such options in their farming systems. This can only be achieved if they are introduced to the Biological Nitrogen Fixation and Grain Legume Enterprise Project.
Project Objectives
Improving the income of rural small-holder farmers and rural communities– specifically women who produce 80% of food reserves in east Africa.
Improving literacy and education of women and the girl children by reducing manual labour.
Providing greater nutrition to populations suffering from nutritional deficits.
Developing sustainable agriculture value chains capable of supporting local, regional, and international marketplaces.
Women Empowerment

Typically, female-headed households are among the poorest, with the lowest level of food security.

Even greater pressure is being placed on rural women in the face of social transformation and a regional food crisis.

In the pilot project where women had access to agricultural resources and services, women have proved themselves more than capable of increasing farm productivity, efficiency, and profits.

Continued investment and incubation of women–led agriculture initiatives are essential to establishing long term, sustainable food security.
Value Chain Development

Global value chains – the production, processing, and marketing of products from farm to fork, now link together producers, traders, processors, manufacturers, retailers, and consumers.

Due to changing market conditions and consumer demands, farmers in developing countries are increasingly becoming integrated into a global trading system.

The impact to rural value chains is perhaps the most dynamic.

Value chain development is a key component to reduce rural poverty in developing countries for farmers; such chains promise access to new markets, while adding value to their produce.

Commercial agriculture often excludes the most vulnerable farmers in rural Africa and those included, benefit marginally.

This project is putting nitrogen fixation to work for small-holder farmers. It's linking the protein and nitrogen needs of poor farmers directly to massive atmosphere reserve and providing them with new income –generating crop production enterprises.

By increasing production of four grains: legumes,beans, soy beans, cowpeas, and groundnuts, the project is helping farmers to practice renewable soil fertility management and adopt profitable new farm technologies and value –adding enterprises.

Improving the welfare of farm household by delivering improved grain and legume varieties and new biological nitrogen fixation (BNF )technologies throughout Kenya is the ultimate goal of this project.
Master Farmers

...

http://www.asafeworldforwomen.org/field-partners/partners-in-kenya/muung...