AFRICA/KENYA - Reducing Poverty and Improving Food Security in Baringo County, severely affected by climate change

Baringo (Agenzia Fides) - Reducing poverty and building community resilience by improving food security and responding to climate change in Baringo County is the goal of a post-Covid-19 project, launched in May 2021, by Camillian Disaster Service International (Cadis). "The local population is very dependent on livestock and subsistence agriculture, which is sensitive to climatic variations", reads the note from the Camillians sent to Agenzia Fides. The region suffers from chronic food insecurity and water scarcity due to a combination of factors such as conflicts based on natural resources, poverty, poor human development and adverse climatic and weather conditions, such as drought and perennial floods".
"It is crucial to address these these issues in order to eradicate poverty and build the resilience of local populations affected by the Lake Baringo flood which displaced more than 3,000 families. Schools were largely destroyed and are currently under construction. In addition, the effects of COVID-19 and tribal clashes in the county have contributed to the extreme poverty of the area. The community, Cadis sources continue, has organized itself into a group registered by the government as Salabani Farmers' CBO, which each comprises 15 members from seven villages.The 105 members are women, men and youth, all trained within the project with the aim of improving the lives of the people of Salabani. A Memorandum of Understanding between Baringo County Government and CADIS Kenya has also been concluded." Currently, thanks to the project, the local population has water for domestic consumption, livestock and irrigation. Activities have been carried out to build the capacity of farmers in climate change adaptation and mitigation, and in the management of soil, water, crops and livestock, to enable them to be the engines of their own development. This is a model project that can be replicated on other community farms in the county. (GC/AP) (Agenzia Fides, 31/5/2022)

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