Strengthening Livelihoods of Rural Agro-Pastoralists In Mutito District

SASOL in partnership with CEFA

The project duration is 3 years, beginning January 2015

SASOL Foundation and CEFA seek to promote sustainable livelihood diversification for farmers who live in arid and semi-arid land areas. Through this project, our goal is to increase incomes for 3,100 farmers/agro-pastoralists in Mutito District by helping them build their capacity, starting in production and leading all the way to the market. We will work to improve access to water and the sustainable development of agribusiness activities along the sorghum, green gram, honey and horticulture value chains.

Target Area & Beneficiaries

The project location is Kitui East Sub-county, formally known as Mutitu District. SASOL is active in 4 wards (Endau/Malalani, Zombe/Mwitika, Mutitu/Kaliku and Kyamatu/Voo), targeting 50 dry land farming groups, 5 honey producing groups, and 10 horticulture groups.

What we expect to see:

• Increased access to water for 1,000 households for domestic use, including 400 horticulturalist households for small-scale open irrigation and greenhouse irrigation.
• Improved skills and productivity of 2,000 agro-pastoralists in the sorghum and green gram value chains, 100 in the honey, and 400 in horticulture value chains.
• Value adding opportunities fostered with the private sector, and vertical linkages established among various actors (beneficiary group representatives, input suppliers, agents/traders, stock keepers, entrepreneurs) along each value chain.

Order of Activities:

1. 3100 beneficiaries identified and selected.
2. 10 sand dams constructed.
3. 10 pit latrines built.
4. 10 shallow wells built and installed with hand pumps.
5. 10 livestock watering troughs built.
6. 10 Water User Associations (WUAs) trained on group dynamics, responsibilities, operation & maintenance of the water structures

Constructing a Sand Dam

Activity Plans

Community mobilization:

SASOL will work to mobilize community members and instruct them on sand dam siting, construction, and utilization. Introduction meetings will be held via local administration structures to bring together all of the stakeholders for the sharing of project goals, target areas, and beneficiaries, as well as expected results. Community meetings will then follow where members will be educated on the sand dam construction process and utilization.

Site Identification:

10 sites will be identified by the community. Detailed selection criteria outlining minimum socio-economic, morphological, and technical requirements of a sand dam site will be explained to the community during the induction meeting. The community will then propose the sites based on the specific criteria.

Selection of People for Sand Dam Construction:

1000 people will be selected for sand dam construction. Selected people will be drawn from at most a 5km distance from each selected site. The selection will focus on each person’s willingness to participate and contribute. Participatory rural appraisal tools will be used to target the intended beneficiaries.

Formation of WUAs:

10 Water User Associations will be formed and trained on group dynamics and responsibilities. These WUAs will be comprised of the 1000 people selected for sand dam construction. The groups will be formed based on geographical locations and will be guided by democratic election of committee members. The training will employ the training manual recommended by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation.

Designing of Sand Dam Construction:

10 sand dam designs will be developed. Various Bills of Quantities (BoQs) will be developed based on the specific designs. The BoQs will detail cost of construction materials and skilled labor.

Construction:

10 sites each with a latrine, shallow well, and livestock watering trough will be constructed. SASOL will contract skilled artisans and procure construction materials. The community will contribute unskilled labor and meals on site to foster project ownership.

Training on Operation and Maintenance:

10 WUAs will be trained on operation and maintenance of the water structures. This will be on-the-job training during the construction process. They will be trained on safety, operation and maint

enance of water infrastructures. The water users committee will be trained on repairs and replacements of hand pumps, and on routine cleaning of the wells. This is necessary for sustainability of the structures after exit of the project.

Mobilization:

2,000 people for dry land farming (including sorghum and green grams) and 100 bee keepers will be selected. The selection criteria will be based on access to arable land and initiative for specified value chains. Participant requirements include: owning at least 2 acres of land, being directly involved in farming prior to selection, willing to actively participate in trainings/workshops and apply acquired skills, and to contribute when required. Special attention will be given to vulnerable groups (youth, orphans, and widows).