JoyWo, Toyota Foundation Equip Nakuru Women With Climate-Smart Farming Skills

By Suleiman Mbatiah

In an effort to promote food security, climate-smart agriculture and women-led community resilience, the Joyful Women Organization, in partnership with the Toyota Foundation, has trained 60 women in Nakuru County on kitchen gardening and agroforestry.

The five-day training forms part of the National Mama Kitchen Garden programme. The initiative supports sustainable household food production and nutrition through practical, community-based approaches led by women.

The programme was launched on May 14, 2025, at Koibatek Agricultural Training Centre in Baringo County. It was later rolled out in Samburu County on October 14, the same year.

Participants received hands-on skills in establishing and managing kitchen gardens, integrating agroforestry at household level, and applying soil fertility and water-efficient farming practices.

The training also covered sustainable food production for household nutrition and income. Women learned to grow surplus produce on small and vertical gardens and preserve vegetables using locally available materials.

At the end of the training, each participant received a start-up kit. The kit included eight avocado seedlings and vertical garden materials to establish a home demonstration plot.

The demonstration farms are expected to serve as learning and replication centres. The trained women will act as champions and peer trainers within their communities.

Under the Mama Fruit Garden initiative, 10 schools in Nakuru County will each receive 50 avocado seedlings. The schools will establish fruit gardens to support nutrition and environmental conservation.

Joan Seurei, head of the Voice of Children programme in the Office of the First Lady, said schools play a central role in the initiative through 4K clubs.

“We realise that they (schools) have a very critical role to play in food production and they are also part of the solution that we’re looking at in providing nutrition and food security for every Kenyan household in this country,” she stated.

She said the programme blends traditional farming knowledge with modern techniques suited for limited land. The approach, she added, aims to improve nutrition and generate income sustainably.

Toyota Kenya Foundation Manager Moses Wanami said the partnership reflects the foundation’s commitment to gender empowerment and sustainable community development.

Wanami, who is also the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Manager at CFAO Mobility Kenya, said the foundation financed the training and purchase of seedlings as part of its CSR agenda.

“Our goal is to empower women economically and help communities build enterprises that can lift families out of poverty while safeguarding the environment,” he said.

Helen Tanui, a trainer with the Joyful Empowerment Social Hand said kitchen gardens are suitable for households with limited land and water.

“They require little space and water, yet provide fresh vegetables that boost nutrition for children and the elderly,” she said while thanking the First Lady Her Excellency Mama Rachel Ruto for the program.

She said trainers will conduct follow-up visits to ensure participants establish and maintain their kitchen gardens. She expressed confidence the women will succeed after receiving a strong foundation.

Faith, a beneficiary from Kuresoi North, said the training positioned women at the centre of addressing food insecurity and environmental challenges.

“I will return home as a champion and teach other women how to use the small pieces of land they have to grow food,” she said, expressing confidence that women in her area will grow economically.