Environmental Feature story:Community Driven Development Groups promise to sustain projects as LVEMP II winds up operations.

Modern Agriculture:Women in Modern Agriculture{WIMA} of Rarieda in Siaya County shows visitors  their farm where they practice modern Agriculture.The Project is being funded by Lake Victoria Management Project{LVEMP II}-Photo By Dickson Odhiambo



By Dickson Odhiambo.
July 24, 2017.
 

 Community Driven Development Groups promise to sustain projects as LVEMP II winds up operations.

A NUMBER of Community Driven Development projects being funded by the Lake Victoria Environmental Management  project Phase two{LVEMP II} have promised the aspects of sustainability as the project plans to wind up this year in December.

The Community Driven Development {CDD} projects within the project’s jurisdiction in the country especially the larger Nyando Basin have shown tremendous success with only a few challenges here and there.

To begin with, the CDD Projects ranging from poultry keeping, Dairy Goat rearing, Bee Keeping, tree Nursery ,Community Water projects, Horticultural farming, weevil rearing, rehabilitation of fishing landing sites among others have shown great strides as members of the local communities reaps benefits from them after being funded by LVEMP II.

One of the notable CDD Projects which has been funded by LVEMP II Kenya is Mibasi Community Water Project in Masogo/Nyang’oma ward which has been funded at a tune of shs 4.6 million and has greatly brought huge benefits to the local community living there.

The Mibasi Community water Project Chairman Raphael Adundo says the project benefits an estimated 7,000 people from within and far areas.

He says before the project, the local community used to trek for longer distance in search of water from River Nyando which was then heavily polluted by the raw effluents from the factories discharging it in the water source.

He says since the year 2012 when LVEMP II funded the project, it has been a big blessing to the community.

The chairman adds that the water projects benefits even people from Awasi area which has been experiencing acute water shortage as residents troops in while riding their bicycles to come and get the commodity, adding that sometimes their neigbours in Nandi County visit the place and get water while saying it is a fresh one and good for drinking and other use in domestic purposes.

“We are very much thankful to LVEMP II which funded our water project that now benefits the local community and people from other areas also,” he says.

He says they get some good money from the project which they save, use some in paying the electricity bill used in pumping water.

He adds that through the profit they make from selling water to the people at affordable price of two shillings per 20 litter jerrican, they have plans to start horticultural farming hence this will be able to help in sustaining the project after the LVEMP II winds up its work and stop funding them.

“From the proceeds we get from the sale of water, we intend to start horticultural farming where we will grow vegetables and other horticultural crops for sale and this we believe will greatly help us in sustaining the projects,” he adds.

Christine Anyango who is from the locality says the water project has been of greater benefit to them since it is affordable, accessible and safe for drinking as well as using it for other domestic purposes.




She confirms that a jerican of 20 litters of water from the project costs two shillings and has greatly save them from trekking longer distance in search of water which they were doing five years ago before the project was initiated and funded by LVEMP II Kenya.

Rural Organization for Just Environment {ROJE} which is a Community Based Organization in Central Nyakach Ward within Kisumu County is also doing tremendous work in terms of massive nursery tree business.

The patron of ROJE Jared Akuku says they started the group in the year 2010 as a CBO and it is a ten member-based group which has a vision to empower.

He says the group has 240 Members and are doing various activities aimed at environmental conservation as well as improving their livelihoods.

The patron says they were funded by LVEMP II after they did a proposal and was given shs 3.5 million.
They have managed to have one big tree nursery and three others within the project situated along Katito-Kendu Road near Harambee market.

He says the group has been able to produce about 2 million trees seedlings in the three tree nurseries annually while in the central tree nursery, the group is able to produce about 1 million tree seedlings annually.

“I want to confirm that these projects which have been funded by LVEMP II have been a life changer ton us because everyone in this village and beyond is very happy since the tree seedlings are very much available,” he says.

He says as a result of the mass production of tree seedlings both home and schools within the area have been planting the trees which they have supplied them with at affordable prices depending on the type of the tree ranging from ten shillings, adding that tree planting in the area has greatly increased due to their project.

Akuku says they have been able to start two green houses alongside where they grow some horticultural crops thus earning.

John Odingo, a member of one of the affiliate groups in ROJE says they have greatly benefitted from the project, adding that they have now managed to have individual Tree Nursery.

Akuku says LVEMP II Kenya has further trained them on how to properly manage their projects, adding that they have been trained on how to improve on the produce and get higher income.

He says LVEMP has now trained them through some agriculture experts on how to come up with grafted fruit trees which can make them earn good money.

For Women in Modern Agriculture in Rarieda Sub-County, they have managed to have five greenhouses where they grow tomatoes and they are also planting vegetables in their plot which they have since purchased.

The Group’s Chair Florence Oketch says they have received a total of shs 3.38 million from LVEMP II Project which it has so far used for buying a plot, establishment of vegetable farm as well as establishment of five green Houses for establishing tomatoes.


She says they have decided to embrace modern agriculture rather than depending on the rain fed agriculture which seems to be losing its meaning in the present Society.

Besides these, the group has also managed to establish an orchard farm where they grow grafted mangoes and they sell.

She says they have greatly benefitted from LVEMP II Kenya funded project and hopes that in an event there will be another phase of LVEMP them more groups should be involved so as to help in improving the livelihoods of the locals.

She says their horticultural farm is self-sustaining and this will greatly help in the maintenance of the project without more funding from LVEMP II Kenya.

“LVEMP II is soon coming to an end but I wish there will be the third phase of LVEMP which should help in improving more lives of the locals after being funded to carry out the Community Driven Development projects,” she says.

The Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project Phase Two (LVEMP II) is  an 8 years (2009 - 2017) regional project implemented in the five East  Africa Community partner states of the Republics of Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda,  Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania where it is implemented in three  phases referred to as Adjustable Program Lending (APL).


It is a regional initiative by the Five East African Community {EAC} Partner states, coordinated by the Lake Victoria Basin Commission {LVBC} with an aim of improving the management of trans-boundary   natural resources in the Lake Basin.


The World Bank through the International Development Association {IDA} and the EAC Partner States are funding the project.


Other sources of funding are Global Environmental Facility {GEF} and the Swedish International Development Agency {SIDA}.

 IDA is funding the national Level while GEF and SIDA are funding the regional activities of the project.


The overall Program is set to cost US Dollar shs 252.7 million during its eight year implementation period.


It has specific objectives of improving the collaborative management of trans-boundary natural resources of the Lake Victoria Basin for the shared benefit of EAC Partners states as well as reducing
environmental stress in the region while enhancing its ecological integrity in addressing threats.


The Project is implemented in four Components namely strengthening Institutional Capacity for Managing shared Water and Fisheries Resources with two Sub-components of harmonizing policies, legislation and regulatory standards, and Ecosystem monitoring and applied research.


The second component is pointing sources Pollution control andPrevention which has three sub-components of rehabilitation of waste water treatment facility, Promotion of cleaner Production technologies as well as pollution risk management and safety navigation.


The third component is Water shed management with a sub-component of natural resources conservation and livelihoods improvement building and capacity participation while the fourth one is project coordination and management which has two sub-components of project coordination and communication as well as monitoring and Evaluation.



In Kenya, the Project is funded through the Ministry of Environment, and Natural Resources to the tune of US Dollar 30million.


Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are currently implementing the first phase
of LVEMP II (APL1) which runs from 2009- 2013 and upon satisfactory implementation of this phase; they will qualify to run APL three which will run from 2014-2017.

Rwanda and Burundi have also started to implement APL two which runsfrom 2010-2017.


LVEMP II is currently being implemented in the selected Rivercatchments within the Lake Victoria Basin.

 In Kenya, the LVEMP II project is being implemented in Nyando RiverBasin which covers an area of 3,550 Kilometers square  and traversesKericho, Nandi and Kisumu Counties under the Adjustable ProgramLending One  {APL 1}.


It is also implemented along the shores of Lake Victoria stretchingfrom Samia District in Western region to Nyatike District in NyanzaRegion.


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