BY: Emily Mikwa
The delivery agents have successfully concluded a pivotal five day training program focused on Sustainable Health Modules and the Urban Program, marking a significant step toward integrating modern technology with innovative agricultural practices in the region.
The training emphasized the importance of data-driven decision-making, with participants receiving comprehensive instruction on ODK (Open Data Kit) Collect monitoring tools.
The facilitator Mr. Joseph Amoke led the agents through the ODK set-up, configuration, and practical sessions for monitoring both urban farming efforts and sustainable health modules. ODK Collect is an essential, open-source tool that allows for data collection anywhere, even offline, ensuring timely and accurate information is gathered from the field.
In the afternoon, the training transitioned from the classroom to the field with a visit to Kisumu Young Agriprenuers, a dynamic urban farm located in Nyalenda.
This practical session provided the delivery agents with first-hand exposure to diverse and space-saving farming technologies suitable for urban environments.
Technologies demonstrated included:
Cone Gardens, which maximize planting space vertically.
Advanced Nurseries for raising robust seedlings.
The cultivation of the Black Soldier Fly (BSF), an eco-friendly and innovative approach used for waste management and producing protein-rich animal feed.
A cold storage room ingeniously constructed using local materials, demonstrating sustainable post-harvest management.
The training session was officially closed by Mr. Solomon Bunyela, the Kisumu Central Sub-County TSC Director, who expressed gratitude to the participants for their engagement. He lauded the training as a valuable session that successfully built capacity and strengthened networks among the agents.
Mr. Bunyela extended gratitude to the partners and facilitators for their quality discussions. He then issued a powerful call to action, challenging the participants to embrace change: “Change comes when people are involved.” He stressed that with the right policies and structures in place, this change can be profoundly useful, and urged the agents,especially the teachers, to become catalysts of change in their respective communities.
The training equips the agents to effectively monitor and implement programs, ensuring drive towards sustainable health and food security is underpinned by both technological rigor and practical, local innovation.
