Nairobi, Kenya — "Initially, we believed nothing could come from this rocky land, but now we're successfully growing crops and preserving our seeds in a community seed bank."
The Langalanga area in Gilgil, Nakuru County, sits atop a rugged, rocky hill that often leaves people questioning its potential. There, on this challenging terrain, lives an organic farmer Beatrice Mwangi, who conserves indigenous seeds every season to help community farmers produce healthy and nutritious food.
"We believed that nothing could come from this rocky land, but now we're successfully growing crops and preserving our seeds in a community seed bank," said Mwangi. "We don't have large farms, but everything changed after training with Seed Savers. Before, we had nothing to eat and couldn't send our children to school because we believed you couldn't grow anything on rocky land. But after the training, we found a way. Look at this area - it's rocky, so you can't use a jembe (hoe) because there's no soil."
Mwangi is a beneficiary of the Seed Savers Network, a social enterprise that strengthens community seed systems to conserve agrobiodiversity and promote food sovereignty. Based near Lake Elementaita, the training center teaches agroecology and regenerative farming techniques, which Mwangi now passes on to other farmers.
"We do three to four main things: first, we save seeds and have a community seed bank with 18 members. Second, we make biopesticides because we don't want to rely on chemicals from the market. The third thing we do is dry vegetables when there is an excess, and we also use compost and organic fertilizers instead of chemicals to improve soil fertility," she said."We also practice kitchen gardening, which lets us grow vegetables even on small plots."
On her farm, Mwangi cultivates Indigenous vegetables with nutritional value, such as terere (amaranth), chayote, managu (African nightshade), pumpkins, murenda (jute mallow), along with sorghum, millet, leafy vegetables, tomatoes, cassava, yams, arrowroot, beans, pigeon peas, cowpeas and spinach, and herbs with medicinal value, such as lemongrass, coriander, and tropical mint.
These indigenous seeds have been preserved over generations, naturally adapting to local conditions.
Kitchen garden
Over the last seven years, Mwangi has transformed her rocky land into a thriving kitchen garden by building vertical beds with soil she purchases.
"I start with layers of dry matter and green matter, then mix the soil with charcoal dust and manure. The charcoal dust adds carbon to the soil and prevents evaporation by holding water. After two years, I remove the covering and mix the composted material, creating fertile soil. I can then use it to grow vegetables and repeat the process," she said. "After about two to three years, I expect to have fertile soil across my whole farm, thanks to the three methods of improving soil fertility that I use."
Kitchen gardens, she says, have not only improved food security but also restored dignity.
"Before, we had nothing. We believed you couldn't do anything with rocky land. But after being trained, now I'm the one who is selling. I'm proud of Seed Savers because now I have my own money. You know, when families have nothing, it creates conflict within the family and the community. Even the community doesn't want you borrowing from them every day, asking for salt or something else. But now, we're proud because we have something. We can educate our children. We may not have big farms, but we have more products," she said.
"In our group, we focus on indigenous vegetables, but we also consider market demand," said Mwangi. "In my area, people don't know how to farm spinach, so it's in high demand. That's why I'm planting spinach along with indigenous vegetables like spider plant, nightshade, and mito. We rotate them for soil fertility. Selling these crops is easy, especially for the local community. We supply nearby schools and customers who know we farm organically. Every Monday, we fulfill orders at the center and any leftover produce goes to Nyakazi. The community is vital because they support us daily, unlike the weekly market. That's why we say the community helps us succeed."
As part of the Nyakazi initiative, local farmers are encouraged to cultivate traditional crops that are at risk of disappearance by collaborating with them and incentivizing them to do so. Nyakazi is an incubation center supported by the Seed Savers Network that promotes sustainable agriculture and conservation by creating demand for native vegetables.
Organic Oasis
Beyond vegetables, Mwangi practices sustainable farming methods, relying on natural alternatives like composting manure and ground fermented pyrethrum leaves to nourish her crops and deter pests.
"I have three methods for making compost, all aimed at improving soil fertility. The first method involves using waste from my compound, which we call Hugelkultur compost, she said. "It's left to decompose for about six months, with some water added every two weeks to help the worms in the composting process. This method doesn't require much work - just adding waste and pouring water. I use the compost for my farm."
Hügelkultur, a German term meaning "hill culture," is a sustainable gardening practice that creates raised beds using organic materials. As the organic matter decomposes, it releases nutrients and improves soil structure.
The second method she uses is Bokashi, which takes only 14 days to be ready, and requires more effort. "I have to rotate it twice daily, she said. "Despite the extra work, it's a faster option compared to the six-month process."
The third method is used for creating a vertical garden. "Here, the rocky land makes direct planting difficult, so we dig trenches about two and a half feet deep and a meter apart. We layer dry and green matter, then top it with a mix of topsoil, charcoal dust, and manure. This helps retain water, even in dry conditions, ensuring the garden doesn't dry out."
Mwangi has also introduced Azolla, an aquatic fern, as a sustainable animal feed. Azolla is protein-rich and can be fed fresh or dried. It helps with weight gain and milk production in livestock, and it's also an excellent natural fertilizer.
"This plant contains protein, and it's mainly for animals. It's grown in a unique way where it sits on water. You can see how it's thriving on the surface of the water," said Mwangi. "To plant it, you mix water with fresh cow dung, and then spread it out. Animals can eat it either fresh or dried, mixed with their food. Whether it's green or dried, they consume it, and the benefit is that it provides protein."
The azolla plant is not only an effective fertilizer but also a nutritional feed that improves weight gain and milk production in livestock, including cows, goats, and sheep. According to studies, some scientists, and farmers, believe azolla could solve modern-day agricultural and environmental problems.
As much as plants, Mwangi's garden boasts a variety of fruit trees.
Her garden is also home to fruit trees, such as pawpaws, grown in nutrient-rich holes dug deep into the rocky ground. "We added a lot of compost and waste to ensure the fruits would have enough nutrients to grow in this rocky terrain," she said.
"I have planted various fruit varieties, but before that, we had maize, different colored maize rich in nutrients... We have them in our seed bank. I think some are ready to be harvested. I also planted pumpkins, and although I've harvested most of them, there's still one left."
Seed to seed
"We have an extracting room because, as I mentioned, there are three types of seeds. The first kind comes from inside the fruit, like tomatoes, nightshade, and papaya. Those need to be extracted. We soak them for three days, sieve them, and then dry them under the shade. The second type is the seeds that are ready from the farm, like beans, spider plants, and maize. Those can be dried directly in the sun.
After extracting the seeds, we conduct a moisture test. As farmers, we don't take seeds to the seed bank without making sure they are completely dried, because seeds that aren't fully dried won't germinate. Next, we do a germination test to ensure that the seeds will grow well. We aim to keep healthy, high-quality seeds that can last in the seed bank for over a year and will germinate when planted.
For germination testing, I use simple materials like a container and a cloth or paper to hold water, placing about 10 seeds in each container. After five days, the test shows the percentage that germinates. Seeds with less than 80% germination are not taken to the seed bank; only those with 80-100% are preserved.
It's essential to do this because we sometimes lend seeds to other farmers and expect them to return them. We want to ensure the seeds we share are reliable and will grow."
"We practice something called 'seed to seed,' where if you're given a seed, you must produce seeds in return."
"We practice something called 'seed to seed,' where if you're given a seed, you must produce seeds in return. Everything grown on your farm is preserved, no exceptions. For example, I dry calabashes now because we face the challenge of weevils. The indigenous method of seed preservation involves using gourds. Seeds stored in gourds can last over three years. Last year, I planted gourds, and they came out very well.
"As farmers, we start selecting seeds from the germination stage, continuing through harvesting and drying. Before placing seeds in the seed bank, we clean and sort them properly," she said. "I also have many seeds of a pumpkin variety that is well adapted to this area. I'll extract and dry these seeds under the shade before sharing them with other farmers. Sometimes we sell, lend, or exchange seeds with others."
Community seed bank
The seed bank operates as a seed library, where small seed samples are cataloged and farmers are linked to larger quantities of the seeds they need. Seed Bank Savers has helped establish around 75 community seed banks, often in simple spaces like farmers' homes. Several activities are conducted by Seed Banks to support farmers and communities in preserving and promoting indigenous seed diversity, such as seed fairs, where farmers demonstrate their crop diversity and advocate for policies that favor indigenous seeds.
Women farmers are also supported by the Seed Bank via microfinance, as well as loans through a savings program, so they can buy water tanks, fodder cutters, or even pay school fees, which helps them sustain their farming practices, especially in dry environments.
The Seed Bank team works closely with the National Gene Bank to document these traditional practices, ensuring that they remain accessible to future generations.
A seed bank is set up to preserve the seeds for farmers to access during planting season.
"This is our community seed bank, and we are a group of 17 members. Currently, we have about 48 varieties of beans, seven varieties of indigenous vegetables, seven varieties of pumpkins, and seven varieties of local maize, along with many other seeds. Our principle is simple: if you find a seed that you don't already have, you bring it here, and we start multiplying it," said Mwangi.
"For instance, I got some varieties while training farmers in Kitui County. I brought them back and distributed them to the farmers - one seed each. The farmers now have the variety, and we store some in our seed bank. When other farmers want this variety, we can sell or exchange them," she said.
Mwangi said that as seed savers, they aim to bring back the lost seed varieties. "We want future generations to know that we have many types of seeds, preserving that diversity for the future."
Seeds of Knowledge
As a trainer, Mwangi also teaches students and pupils who come to her farm to learn about seeds and kitchen gardens.
"We're doing the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), and our children are learning more about seeds, planting, and agriculture. So they often visit us. We set up one kitchen garden and one seedbed, and show them how to do it," she said. "We also receive many visitors, including farmers from other areas who want to see what we're doing."
"This place serves as a training center. I train the farmers, and they go back and implement what they learn on their own farms. What you see here on my farm is my own work, but my fellow farmers replicate it. Every Monday, each farmer brings their own vegetables or produce to share," said Mwangi.
"In the beginning, some farmers were conservative and hesitant to try something new, asking, 'Why should we change?' But once they saw the success of our methods, they started asking questions. Many even invited me to their communities to do practical demonstrations. I'm proud when farmers come asking, 'What are you doing? How can we do the same? Come show us.' I have personally trained over 2,000 farmers."
One of the most common questions they ask is, 'How do you preserve and process your seeds?'
"They want to know how we ensure the seeds are viable and what steps we take to make them as good as the ones from our farm," she said. "I explain everything to them so they can understand and apply it themselves."
"When I first learned about seed saving, like anything new, it was hard to understand how we could do it. But the Seed Savers were very supportive - they came to the ground and trained us on our farms. We adapted quickly, and now we are the ones teaching others. We want every woman to have her own seeds and her own farm produce to earn money. I told you, a family without food or money faces daily conflict. Children end up staying home because there's no money for school."
"In our group, it's all women - 17 women and no men. Men don't usually join groups like these because they are busy working elsewhere, while women are the ones doing the farm work. At first, men didn't understand this type of farming. My husband was skeptical, but after I was trained by Seed Savers and he saw what I was doing, he started supporting me. We work together now because he understands that what I'm doing is beneficial. I no longer borrow money or rely on him to bring food. He's embraced organic farming as well. When men see the results, they start helping," said Mwangi.
