The Kibwezi project began in January 1991 as a demonstration farm,
based on pressurized irrigation in a semi-arid area of about 40 hectares
between Nairobi and Mombasa. Since 1995, the farm functions as a training
center, where technical know-how is transferred to farm households in the
area.
Various kinds of vegetables are grown in kibwezi for both domestic and
export markets. Water from the Kibwezi River is used to irrigate a variety
of crops, such as sweet corn, tomatoes, onions, garlic, green pepper,
cabbage and pumpkin for local consumption, whereas aubergine, okra, karela
and cayenne pepper are grown for export. Some of the seeds for these
products are imported from Israel. Fruit trees are also grown, including
bananas, oranges and mangoes. The project employs various irrigation
methods, such as overhead sprinklers and furrow or drip-irrigation,
depending on the needs of the crop.
The project is assisted by two professional long-term Israeli experts,
aided by short-term consulting missions, as well as on-the-spot training
courses in many subjects, such as fertilizer spreading and the processing
of meteorological data. The local staff consists of 50 permanent workers
and some 150 farmers.
Since the beginning of 1995, the Kibwezi project has become a training
center, aimed at transferring technical know-how from the central farm to
approximately 480 farm households in the area.
New staff members were
recruited and trained to instruct local farmers. The center functions in
close cooperation with the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture.
The project staff comprises 12 members, including training
officers and field instructors. Every fortnight, members
of the staff gather for a day-long refresher course;
they visit the farms in the area once a week and
participate, from time to time, in a two-day seminar
on the latest technological innovations in agriculture.