November 06, 2018 NAIROBI-KENYA I Issue No. 0093 School where youngsters enjoy soiling their hands The front view of the beautiful compound boasts flower gardens and storied classroom buildings. Only the chosen few allowed to go beyond the buildings know the secret behind them. Stories like these are covered in an upcoming book on AgroInnovation by the Kenya Yearook Editorial Board. Agro-Innovation Transforming agriculture toward sustainable development BY KYEB A t St Teresa Kanyange Academy in Othaya, Nyeri County, the pupils always wish that every day was a Tuesday afternoon. This is a school where children, most of whom had never seen a hoe or had any physical contact with livestock, are moulded into prospective farmers. And the spirit of teamwork between teachers and these pupils is amazing. As some are digging and making trenches, others are watering plants, and transporting manure, while others mix it with soil. The presence of teachers, also wielding hoes, machetes and other farming implements creates a picture of one big happy family tiling their land. The front view of the beautiful compound boasts flower gardens and storied classroom buildings. Only the chosen few allowed to go beyond the buildings know the secret behind them – a well-tended, weeds-free garden, flourishing with vegetable crops that include carrots, radishes, cabbages, kales, spinach and fruit trees. There are also avocadoes and tree tomatoes. Across the blocks, the school has dairy and beef cows and some pigs. The animals are the schools’ source of meat, pork and milk. “The first thing we tell newcomers is that pigs are not goats and that some of them can be violent if provoked. We then train them on how to handle and relate with the LAYOUT, DESIGN AND EDITING OF MYGOV WEEKLY BY THE KENYA YEARBOOK EDITORIAL BOARD www.kenyayearbook.co.ke 0202715390 / 0711944538 NHIF Building , 4th Floor @Kenyayearbook animals, which they later find to be fun to interact with,” says Mr David Macharia, the teacher in charge of the piggery. Tuesdays are club days; the only day the students have a real long break from the long hours in class. The school, with a population of more than 1,000 children, has drama, Red Cross, scouts, and environment clubs, among others. However, there is one club that patrons are reluctant to admit more members into – the Young Farmers Society (YFS), as every pupil wants to join. YFS patron Mesheck Mwangi says: “We have more than 150 pupils, most of them from towns. Many knew nothing about farming before they joined the club.” Master Edwin Macharia, a Standard Seven pupil, cannot hide his joy as he explains how he employs the skills he learns in school while back home. This has endeared him to his mother, he says. His family lives in a rented house with a small compound in 150 Membership of the Young Farmers’ Society (YFS) in the school town. During the last school holidays, he converted the compound into a kitchen garden. “We never buy vegetables from the market anymore. Ours are fresh unlike those in the markets, which are hard and sometimes bitter. I also encouraged my mother to rear chickens, which give us eggs and enough manure for the garden,” says Edwin. The farming project started in May, but has become more popular with the children than other ventures. “We wanted to train the town dwellers on farming and to help break the monotony of class work. In the short time that we have been farming, we have been able to supplement the diets given to our pupils, not to mention that we are guaranteed quality. The school is also able to make savings that would have gone into purchase of vegetables and meat,” says the patron. The trial period is over, and soon, the school will open its gates to potential farmers who wish to study about modern practices. When we visited the school, the vegetable garden had more than 1,000 pieces of cabbages ready for harvest, while more than 5,000 seedlings were ready for transplanting. Mr Macharia, who is in charge of the pig project, says they specialise in the large white species, which are bigger in size. “The cost of production is very minimal because we feed them on leftovers; giving them as much as they can eat since we have enough. The pigs are slaughtered for the pupils, who eat pork at least twice a week,” says the teacher. Ms Rahab Nyaguthii, a teacher, says education and proper feeding go hand-inhand. “You cannot teach a hungry child or one with malnutrition and expect good results. With proper feeding, children are able to concentrate in class. These children are also growing and in their adolescence, they require proper diets. Good diets are needed for hormone development and the changes they are experiencing. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 the National Intelligence Service for further collaboration. “We will also escalate this to other law enforcement agencies so that they can also access real-time view from their premises,” Mr Njiraini said. He noted that apart from the scanned images, there are other documents that KRA receives at the command centre such as Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) inspection documents. This, he noted, enables KRA image analysts to check the consistency of the scanned images with the documents presented. KRA Commissioner for Customs and Border Control Mr Julius Musyoki indicated that use of the various technologies in the Customs and Border Control Department has significantly enhanced efficiency. He said that the integration of the scanners has been imperative in trade facilitation as it now allows for faster verification and clearance of goods, transparency of the scanning process, and quick access to scanned images as well as lowering the cost of doing business. The Commissioner noted that the system also helps in protection of the society as it ensures that there is a secure supply chain, enables detection of concealments and contributes immensely in curbing illicit trade. Mr Musyoki further said that use of the integrated scanners has significantly reduced concealment incidences at the ports of entry. During the commissioning of the facility, he showcased three tyres, neatly stuck into one, which were successfully intercepted during the scanning process. The Commissioner said that We will also escalate this to other law enforcement agencies so that they can also access real-time view from their premises - Mr. John Njiraini the intention of the importer was to cheat the system and evade tax payment. “To an ordinary eye, this might look like a single tyre. Through our elaborate scanning technology, we have successfully managed to intercept such cases of concealment,” Mr Musyoki remarked. He added that the technologies are key in KRA’s support of the Government’s development plan under the Big Four Agenda umbrella. “Through these technologies, KRA will support the Big Four Agenda by improving business climate through faster clearance of cargo which reduces human interventions, detection of concealments and illicit trade thus promoting legitimate trade,” he said. The Commissioner further noted that the cargo tracking technology employed by KRA, the Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System (RECTS) has seen a significant reduction in cases of diversion of transit goods, exports and excisable goods. Apart from putting checks on the aforementioned cargo related malpractices, Mr Musyoki said that use of RECTS has seen significant reduction in transit time along the northern corridor. RECTS is run by KRA and counterpart tax administrations in Uganda and Rwanda. P.O. Box 34035-00100 Kenya Yearbook Editorial Board info@kenyayearbook.go.ke
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