Real Impact for sustainable growth

Thika, Kenya

An Overview Of Our Solution

Horticultural crops are an important source of nutrients required for a balanced diet. However their production presents numerous challenges. These are: a) Environmental threats of intensified horticultural farming such as pesticide use, land use and high labour requirement, b) the need to improving food security and better nutrition and finally c) the challenges of growing food for the Peri-Urban community. Our solution is growing horticultural crops using vertical bags gardens using integrated pest management technologies (minimal pesticide use). The vertical bag garden is an ideal urban technology saving on land use, water use and labour requirement. Real Impact has worked in the community promoting this technology that protects the environment, promotes with food security and is sustainable.

Who is this solution impacting?

Community Type

Urban

Suburban

Organization type

Nirlaba

Ecosystem (select all that apply)

Forests

Urban/Built Environment

Population impacted

5,000

Size of agricultural area

2 ha +

Production quantity

5,000 kilo

People employed

Describe your solution

Our solution is growing horticultural crops using vertical bags gardens using integrated pest management technologies. Over the last five years we have championed the concept of vertical farming in the peri-urban environment. Our large Bag Gardens grow over 80 plants like kale, spinach, chard, Amaranth, tomatoes, onions in 1 square metre. This is inexpensive and high-yielding food security technology. Bag gardens maximised land and water use (water use is 20 % less). Real Impact has a team of women who make the bags out of long lasting (+5 years) shade net and these are sold to support the NGO. Numerous groups who have been trained have developed their own commercial enterprises and grow/sell leafy vegetables using our technology. Since inception in 2009, we have worked with and trained more than 5,000 trainers and lead farmers, and over 2,000 urban farmers. The technology has been promoted through a TV programme called Shamba shape-up in both Kenya & Tanzania. Real Impact partners with The Real IPM Company (K) Ltd (Real IPM) ( www.realipm.com) to ensure that the crops and food grown in the bags are environmental safe, with minimum or zero pesticides and available to the customer as residue free. Real IPM is a biological control company based in Kenya that produces a range of crop protection solution based on naturally occurring organisms that replace conventional synthetic pesticides. These products enable crops to be grown that are residue free.

Describe your implementation

The overall goal is to contribute to “at least 25,000 households gaining access to irrigation and nutrition services” through greater adoption of nutrition-linked agriculture. The objective is to increase smallholder production, consumption and sales of nutritious foods by expanding the use of kitchen gardens/vertical bag gardens, small-scale irrigation and water-efficient technologies. Our approach has been to combine Real IPM’s environmentally friendly bio-products and services with scale of the # of smallholders & urban gardeners using bag farms and other water-saving practices. Core elements of our success include: -A commercial approach to ensure sustainability through close collaboration with technical and marketing teams of Real IPM. -Scaling up the adoption of irrigation & water conservation technologies -Introduction of vertical “bag gardens” to increase yields, reduce labour, maximize land use and utilize water more efficiently. -Target nutrition dense foods to be cultivated within the vertical growing bags -Provide training which is available routinely on a weekly basis. Routinely training is provided every Wednesday and is run whether we have two or twenty participants. -Have a measurable impact on farmers including 60% women and 25% under 35 years. By partnering with The Real IPM Company(K) who have provided facilities for demonstration & training hence enabling without significant capital costs of buying/leasing land and offices. Additional urban farmers are limited in geographical spread which has enabled us to reach more clients without large investment in logistics. A key success factors is the role of our customers and trainees to spread the word and recruit more urban farmers. We estimate each trainee recruits 10 further adopters. A clear challenge is communicating and spreading the word about the technology but through the media, satisfied customer recommendations & quality service and products, this can be done.

External connections

Real Impact has partnered with Real IPM (IPM = Integrated Pest Management). Vertical Bag Gardens have already been introduced to our community partners including as described above: • Watoto Wenye Nguvu Orphanage • Macheo Childrens Centre • The PELUM (Participatory Ecological Land Use Management) Association • Resource Orientated Development Initiative (RODI In addition, Real Impact has implemented development projects in partnership with USAID, Farm Africa, DFID, SNV, AECF, and the EU Pesticide Initiative Programme.

What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?

1. Environmental threats of intensified horticultural farming. Producing horticultural crops requires intensification and high inputs such as fertilizer, pesticides, water use and labour. There is risks to the environment linked to water extraction, pesticide use and pollution, and excessive fertilizer moving into environmental. 2. Improving food security and better nutrition. Kenya has one of the highest population growth rates in the world. Nairobi, is a city with a population of 3 million and 60% lives in slum areas. Horticultural produce is a critical component of better nutrition and improved diet and ensuring food security. A better diet reduces “modern diseases” such as diabetes and obesity. 3. Peri-Urban farming challenges. A third challenge is that the land and resources like water in peri-urban areas is limited for producing a range of crops. Urban farming is carried out by households by all but, but poor(er) households tended to be more engaged.

Describe the context in which you are operating

Real Impact for Sustainable Growth is an NGO that promotes crops & technologies for sustainable agriculture and improved nutrition. We work in rural and peri-urban areas, offering a suite of farming inputs and technical services. We promote a means to grow nutritious foods through kitchen gardens and especially vertical bags.

Real Impact has established kitchen gardens/ vertical bags locally including: Thika School for the Blind, Joy town School for Physically Challenged, Macheo Children Centre, Watoto Wenye Nguvu Orphanage, Thika Health Management Team at District hospital and Matarajio Women’s Group. These kitchen gardens deliver food security and improved nutrition to the vulnerable communities.
Two community examples include:
Watoto Wenye Nguvu Orphanage has 9-ha farm where an Institutional Kitchen Garden has been established.

Macheo Childrens Centre cares for 65 destitute girls and boys under the age of 12 and has a school-feeding programme for 7 primary schools.

How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?

Reduction of pesticide use by the use of Integrated Pest Management technologies assisted by Real IPM. This includes improved crop scouting and monitoring nd more timely control of pest and diseases. Use of products that are green and usually living organisms such as insect killing fungi and predators, all produced by Real IPM. Introduction of natural oive organisms that complement the naturally occurring control organisms. Helping to create a balance of nature. Increase natural enemies of crop pests by the use of compatible crop protection measures. This is a fundamental principle of IPM and a major means of increasing biodiversity in the crop environment. Reduction in water use by <20% by using vertical grow bags and drip irrigation technology. These are important water conservation measures. By water conservation measures this minimizes the waste water and the leaching into the environment.

Language(s)

English, Swahili

Water

The use of water conservation irrigation measures which optimizes the use of water. Water savings by up to 20%.

Food Security/Nutrition

Promoting systems of food production in the urban and peri-urban environment range from a single balcony bag through to urban farms of 50 to 100 large bags in a peri-urban environment.

Economic/Sustainable Development

An economic and sustainable model for operating Real Impact where training, services and products are all sold for a modest price to ensure that the NGO is not solely dependent on donor and project funding.

Climate

By the use of optimum use of resources (land and water) a production system has been created that has minimal risk as a result of climate change. In addition the production system is not adversely affecting the climate through destruction of habitat or other practices that would impact on climate change.

Sustainability

Real Impact is a registered NGO. However, it has been recognized that Real Impact could not rely on donor funding or grants therefore it has developed a social enterprise of selling training, manufacturing and then selling inputs (bags, IPM products) and acting as an agent to Real IPM. However in order to maximize coverage, Real Impact has also sort donor support to extend its reach and speed uptake of these technologies. By generating income Real Impact has developed independence from donors and achieve a level of sustainability.

Return on investment

Real Impact has covered its running costs through selling services and training. Initial set up costs have been supported external by partners such as The Real IPM Company (K) Ltd and donor projects. Expansion of the activities can be undertaken organically through accumulation of sales income an gradual promotion.

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How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?

Real Impact has replicated the use of Vertical Garden bags within Kenya and regionally (Uganda and Tanzania). To speed up the bag adoption training and promotion are required to replicate the use of this technology. The degree of impact and replication is dependent on resources but a typical budget might be: ¬ Demonstration plots for kitchen garden kits + associated costs ($300 x 30 urban farmers = $9,000) ¬ Sales of bags and services. Multiple of 10 times demo farms = 300 farmers = 300 x $300 = $90,000 ¬ (this is a recoverable cost) ¬ Management, extension and training (staff/operational costs 12 months $12,000) ¬ Promotion and logistics (promotion $6,000, logistics $3,000) ¬ Total project budget: $120,000 ($90,000 is recoverable through sales) ¬ Cost of grant/beneficiary $30,000/330 = $90

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REAL IMPACT FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

Overview