For Kenya, one of the interesting things that we saw the number of farmers who are looking outside of seasonal constraints in growing different vegetables.  We also learned about moist bed gardening, to cope with the dry season when there is very little if any rainfall. Essentially, moist bed gardening uses a large bed that is enclosed using polyethylene plastic. Rocks or other space filling materials are placed in the bottom of the bed to help provide aeration to the roots and to give some space between the roots and any water that may accumulate at the bottom of the bed. The remaining space is filled with good quality soil and plants like arrowroot (taro) is planted inside the bed.

We also had the chance to construct a sack garden the same way it would be constructed in Kenya. Using the help of a small fire and a metal rod, holes were poked into a water tube to be placed in the middle of the sack. We learned that it is important to have many holes throughout the tube as this allows water to percolate throughout all levels of the sack (aka multi-storey garden). The sacks are very affordable to purchase compared to things like plastic buckets which we use in Canada. We discovered that buckets in Kenya relatively expensive to purchase, compared to Canada where we find them commonly discarded at the side of the road.

Learning about value added products was another workshop that garnered much enthusiasm and interest from all the participants. We had a chance to get hands-on training in transforming milk into yogurt, turning peanuts (also called ground nuts) into peanut butter, and fresh mangoes into mango jam. We realized the value added products we were producing in Canada (such as dehydrating and fermenting) were more geared towards preserving the harvest, whereas the Kenyans practiced value addition, not only to prolong the shelf life of the products, but more so to add value to a raw commodity in order to sell at a higher price.

Other interesting things we learnt about, included water harvesting, bio gas production, and small scale livestock production. With water harvesting, this allows the farmers to think outside of the traditional planting times as dictated by the annual rainfall. With bio gas, we saw a farmer using cattle manure in order to reduce his need to purchase charcoal or electricity to cook his dinner. And with the small scale livestock production, we learned how some farmers are doing this to supplement their income and their diets with nutritious and wholesome food.

In addition to the things we learned, we also had an opportunity to share a number of farming techniques we use in Canada with the African youth. These included things on composting, how to build a solar dehydrator, how to make your own self-watering container using buckets, developing entrepreneurship skills such as sales and marketing, and a training on food security.

As we return to Canada and move into the preparation for our upcoming 2012 season, there are several things we hope to take back and implement in our gardens in Toronto. These include putting a more concerted effort into composting and building our soil, incorporating more vertical gardening into our gardens, and sharing the things we learn with our broader community at large.

Overall, this has been a great exchange and valuable opportunity for us to share and learn. Now it’s up to the youth (including us) to get back to work on our projects back home. Maybe this will be the start of a series of exchanges, but right now it’s too early to tell.

The goal of the program is for the youth (broadly defined as under 35) to share their ideas and experiences from each of our respective cities on urban agriculture and food security issues. The program began with an introduction from Mazingira Institute, the host organization for the exchange. Introductions were made, an overview of the purpose and context of the trip was made and the rest of the day was spent with introductory presentations by the majority of the participants.

The main programming got started on the second day with a visit to Ndoso Farm, a peri-urban farm run by an enthusiastic and passionate Ndungi Ngogi. At his farm, he grows a variety of vegetables in greenhouses including some of the best peppers I’ve ever tasted. He also grows other fruit, vegetables, and raises fish on his property as well.

Elaine and I gave a presentation on making compost tea, as well as using worm castings to build the soil. Ndungi does a great job of composting using a variety of methods and that is one of his secrets to the success of his garden. He also gave a presentation on another method of composting using grubs, specifically the grubs/larvae of the black soldier fly.

In the afternoon, we went to another of Ndungi’s farms – this one a livestock farm that raises chickens and pigs. It was incredible to see how healthy the animals were, especially with Ndungi using organic methods for all of his activities.

The third day was spent primarily at Mr Rabbit’s Farm. While that isn’t his actual name, it is a nickname he likes to carry around with him. Before arriving at the farm though, we made two detours. The first was to H-Garden which is located in the second largest slum area in Nairobi. At this location, one of the youth leaders Humphrey “grabbed the land” and setup a garden to work with the youth in this area. The local authorities turned a blind eye because they see his project as benefitting the community, even though they don’t have official papers for the land. It was incredible to see a number of sack gardens, as well as rabbits and pigeons being kept on a tiny piece of land.

We also had a short visit and interview with KOCH FM, a local radio station run by youth and broadcasting to just a small area in another ghetto area of Nairobi. The entire operation is run out of an repurposed shipping container, complete with an office and sound-proof studio for their broadcasting. To see this local project in action, essentially using just a computer and a microphone was a humbling experience to see how much can be done with so little.

When we finally got to Mr Rabbit’s farm, we had a tour around his property. We had a chance to see how they make their own compost, how they utilize a farming methodology called moist bed gardening, how to butcher a rabbit, enjoy sucking on fresh sugar cane, and see a larger scale rabbit operation.

Sunday, day 4, was a rest day, and a bunch of us spent some the afternoon at a local swimming pool for some much needed R&R.

On Monday, we continued our farm excursions to two local places. The focus was on value-added products and we first stopped at a local place that manufactured toys using recycled plastic. Using just two small buildings, they sort, melt, and mold recycled plastic into some really nice toys. It looked like they also had a bunch of corn growing in a back lot as well. We finished the day at Esther’s farm which is another peri-urban farm in a new suburb of Nairobi. Here, we had a chance to have a few hands-on demonstrations of how to make yogurt, how to make peanut butter (using either dry roasted peanuts or fried peanuts), and how to make mango jam. The peanut butter and mango jam were some of the best I’ve ever had! Esther has what we would consider to be a cottage industry that takes.

That’s all for this update. Look for more pictures and posts as the exchange continues.

The Young Urban Farmers CSA is gearing up for another spectacular year of growth, both in our gardens and as an organization. We’re looking for motivated self-starters who work well as part of a team and are looking for a chance to develop their leadership and management experience in a challenging and rewarding position. Being a part of YUF CSA means being passionate about fresh and local food, and  making a difference in the community.

Volunteers will have the opportunity to manage key projects, gain valuable hands-on experience and make a real difference in a growing organization. We are looking for help in our Workshop, Sales, Fundraising, Design and Finance areas, as follows:

Workshop Coordinator: The Workshop Coordinator will have the full responsibility for the planning and delivery of the YUF CSA workshop program. The workshops relate to food, gardening, the food system, and the environment, and they are designed for YUF CSA members and volunteers, as well as the wider, non-engaged public. The Workshop Coordinator works closely with other members of the YUF CSA team and reports directly to the Executive Committee. The Workshop Coordinator will be responsible for planning and implementing the workshop program, identifying and liaising with facilitators, designing event materials with the Marketing and Design team, advertising and promoting the workshops with the Social Media team and Outreach Coordinator, managing the available budget for workshops, sourcing and supplying ingredients and materials, identifying and booking appropriate venues, attending each workshop to support the facilitator as required and evaluating and reporting progress in line with program objectives.

Sales Manager: The Sales Manager will be responsible for all aspects of the YUF CSA sales process. Strong interpersonal skills, an outgoing personality and a passion for gardening are crucial to success in this role. Duties and responsibilities include generating sales leads for homeowners/individuals to donate their land for our services (using both new and existing sales processes); engaging new and returning customers to participate in our CSA service; administering and overseeing direct marketing and cold calling; booking and delivering sales presentations; managing customer relationships; implementing the overall sales strategy; as well as managing, training, and overseeing a team of direct marketers. This position requires approximately 4 to 10 hours per week, with some evening and weekend work required.

Outreach Coordinator: The Outreach Coordinator will have the full responsibility for the planning and delivery of YUF CSA’s outreach campaign with the goal of engaging the general public and encouraging active participation in our program. The Outreach Coordinator will work closely with other members of the YUF CSA team on responsibilities such as developing and implementing the overall outreach strategy, identifying and registering YUF CSA for outreach events, developing a promotional kit for outreach events with the Marketing and Design team, attending and tabling at outreach events, advertising and promoting the outreach events with the Social Media and Design teams, booking speaking engagements and delivering presentations to a wide variety of audiences and cultivating partnerships with other organizations and community partners. The Outreach Coordinator will contribute 2 to 8 hours per week with a flexible work schedule.

Graphic Designer: The Graphic Designer will be responsible for designing and producing all of YUF CSA’s diverse marketing materials, including our overall brand identity. The Graphic Designer will work closely with the Marketing, Outreach and Workshop teams in carrying out the following duties and responsibilities designing print and web promotional materials. The Graphic Designer will creating a consistent brand strategy with the Marketing team, liaising with the Outreach and Workshop teams to promote special events, storing and maintaining production-ready graphics for all projects and researching and sharing with the YUF CSA team new emerging technologies, applications, and design, and identifying opportunities to integrate these into our projects. The Graphic Designer will contribute 2 to 8 volunteer hours per week on a flexible schedule.

Finance Manager: The Finance Manager is responsible for all of the financial aspects related to running YUF CSA. Attention to detail, superior organizational skills, and financial experience are required. The Finance Manager must communicate financial information to key stakeholders on an ongoing basis, thereby ensuring the financial viability of the organization. Duties and responsibilities include creating the budget and forecasting ongoing operations; managing the bank account and cash flows; reporting on financial status; preparing financial statements and projections; as well as utilizing the industry’s best practices. The Finance Manager will contribute 4 to 10 hours per week on an ongoing basis with a flexible work schedule.

If one of these positions sounds like you: Please submit your cover letter and resume as separate attachments by e-mail to andrea(at)yufcsa.com no later than 5 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012. Please use the title of the position you are applying for as the subject line and mention where you saw the job posting in your cover letter.