11.4 million people are currently food insecure (IPC Phase 3+) and require urgent food assistance in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, and Uganda.
Will you join the team working to empower Kenya’s youth?
How do we intend to measure results?
Kenyan Economic Forecasts?
What funding sources are there for this project – actual, pending, applied for?
Describe plans for sustainability?
What is Inua’s Farming Experience?
What Research Has Been Done To Bring Us To This Point?
Farming and agribusiness have been at the core of our life skill curriculum since Inua’s
beginning. Two years ago, Inua leased 5 acres to grow maze (corn) and beans to expand on this
concept. The first-year experiences taught our youth and staff a lot. The farm it almost broke
even. The second year, we had international farming expert advice, prepared the soil, studied
the seeds, improved our record keeping, used organic methods to control worms and bugs,
hired youth. The results; we increased our yields 5 times in corn and beans resulting in a
projected income of $1,000.00.
The Agribusiness Training Center has potential to sell its seasonal harvest to the community. As
with other Inua training centers, the Agribusiness Training Center may attract paying students
as well. Forecasting suggests sustainability within 2 years or less.
Inua Mentors and Staff assess youth annually using the Hope Index. This measures nutritional
intake, frequency of eating, life skills acquired and more. The Agribusiness Training Center staff
will measure farm output monthly to track operational costs as well as costs and revenues
associated with distribution or sales of all crops.
The government ranks Farming as #2 on their list of “growth industries” indicating the strong
long-term employment potential. Kenya is now importing more food than they are growing.
The government’s concern is producing affordable healthy food for a growing population. Jobs
will be created in the entire channel of farming. Basic farming, sales and distribution of farm
supplies, logistics, storage, retail and wholesale sales and operations will be affected. The
results are opportunities for long term employment in this growth sector.
Currently Inua has approximately $110,000 in restricted donations designated for farming projects. Since January 2019 Inua has received an additional $60,000 in grants. We are in the process of applying for a $10,000 grant from World Outreach. Several potential organizations/donors have indicated financial support moving forward. The projected budget is around $210,000, leaving Inua with a $40,000 need.
Although the food-insecure population is currently lower than the total numbers in need at the height of the 2016/17 drought, there is a high risk of a worsening situation due to observed and forecast drought conditions in Somalia, Kenya, and south-eastern Ethiopia (where overall needs are the highest), as well as in north eastern Uganda. An increase in the number of people facing crisis food insecurity or higher is expected from now through September as a result of consecutive failed seasons that have destroyed livelihoods and eroded the ability of communities to cope.
Inua Partners in Hope serves the Naivasha region in Kenya, working to empower youth led families to become sustainable and build a hope for their future. Adding an Agribusiness Training Center (ATC) will enhance our faith-based mentoring, educational and business start-up program by offering agricultural training, self sufficiency and an income for Inua Partners in Hope to build toward a sustainable ministry. Two hundred youth will be in basic farm training annually, learning everything from soil nutrients to organic pesticides to how to profit in the farmer’s market. We expect to increase the local food supply and provide employment. 15-20% of the youth in the Inua program will opt to receive expert training and launch an agribusiness career providing an income for families, as well as to make available organic affordable food for the region (locally grown). As a result, we will see improvement in nutrition, access to food, and farming skills for each of the youth in the program, as well as for the community at large.
Youth goals will be met when the supply and quality of food throughout the Naivasha region meets the demand of basic nutritional needs, when all Inua Youth can grow their own food, when sales of surplus crops from the Agribusiness Training Center cover program expenses and when up to 20% of the participating youth are fully prepared to begin a career in agribusiness.
You can be a part of this amazing program by offering a helping hand to our friends in Kenya. Your monthly gift will be used to provide seeds, training and water for this valuable investment. We will update you regularly on the progress being made, as well as any challenges we might face along the way. Our pilot project was very successful as you can see by the pictures above and we expect the ATC to become sustainable within just a few years.
• Michael Read, PhD in Agriculture whose specialty is maze made the trip to Kenya to
start the review process of Inua’s agricultural program. Dr. Read lives in Sarasota but
has lived and worked in Ghana, Pacific Rim, Mexico, Hawaii, Arizona, and Florida.
• A feasibility study was created by a Kenyan PhD organic Farming/Agribusiness
Consultant. That plan is for a 5-acre farm, with 5 greenhouses, a facility for chickens to
produce eggs, open farming, and infrastructure to include a well, storage facilities,
classrooms, offices, and guard. Costs and cash flows were part of the study.
• Interviews followed in Kenya with Kenyan Agribusiness Experts, as well as visits to farm
suppliers, research and teaching centers, visitations to farms.
• Farm experts in the United States evaluated the presentation and researched
independently to validate the data.
• Visits were made to commercial farmers, UF agricultural extension offices, Ph.D.’s in
farming, experts in agribusiness were consulted, and internet research.
• Three International Agricultural Conferences were attended with worldwide.
Representation of NGO’s, Academics, and industry members attending, all focused on
agricultural practices, hunger, famine, and nutritional effects on the body and health in
third world countries.
• The CEO of Echo Farms, in Ft. Myers, Fl., an international teaching farm with locations
in Florida, Tanzania, and the Pacific Rim came to FUMCWP and gave a presentation to
board members and the Forum class about world hunger and the need to teach sustainable
farming methods in third world country. He also met with the Kenyan staff in Ft. Myers
and advised on the Agribusiness Training Center plan.
• Business and operating models were created to test varieties of crops, market pricing,
operational costs, and expected returns.