BLOG POST 11: MAJOR RESILIENCE BUILDING AND DRR INTERVENTIONS, RESOURCES AND PRACTICES

BLOG POST 11: MAJOR RESILIENCE BUILDING AND DRR INTERVENTIONS, RESOURCES AND PRACTICES

This blog explore the adaptive practices of local households and communities and identifying interventions and resources for strengthening resilience and disaster risk reduction capacity in Tharaka. It seeks to answer the following questions:  What are the common adaptation practices by households, communities, and institutions against shocks and stresses?  Who are the main resilience-building actors and what are their specific roles? What is the role of IAS in strengthening resilience in Tharaka? Which resilience-building activities has IAS carried out? Are there signs of impact and sustainability of IAS’ resilience building activities? What are the feasible entry points for an organization seeking to strengthen capacities and help in reducing vulnerabilities in the local community?

Common adaptation practices by households, communities, and institutions against environment-related shocks and stresses 

Information on this sub theme is under development. Information being analyzed is around. The common adaptation practices by households, communities, and institutions against shocks and stresses. It appears the following are the main adaptive practices of the local community:

·      Selling livestock to avoid casualty

·      Gathering pasture and storing it before onset of drought

·      Vaccination animals are some of the adaption practices with regard to livestock.

·      Migration

·      Children being sent to live with well-off relatives

·      Schoolchildren migrate to schools with feeding programmes.

Interventions by government and non-governmental organizations and agencies

There are a few resilience-building interventions in Tharaka, which include water and food security projects by governmental agencies and non-state actors including IAS. The main ones are described here.

1)         Manyirani water project which is supported by IAS. Majority of households are connected with this irrigation this but have not exploitedit to the full for their benefit. Those who were not reached by the project claimed they were sidelined and claimed the project was run as a family and money minting affair. In order be connected to water, the committee required one to pay Ksh 30,000.

2)         Water pans in Nthoa in Maragwa location: IAS has partnered with Kianda Cereal Producers to implement these interventions. Despite high sipping and evaporation, farmers grow vegetables using the water from the water pans to grow vegetables. In the 2 water pans visited, water is reserved in tanks which is used to water vegetables. The idea of water pans was adopted by the community because 4 households in area dug their own without the support of IAS.

3)         Mukuruti Rock Water Catchment Project (supported by the government): The project looked abandoned with only a few people going to fetch water from it. It is said that most of the people in the area no longer use the water source because they capture their own water using water tanks.

4)         Manduru Dam: It was built by the government by Ministry of Water. The water captured in the dam is adequate to irrigate a large area but nobody bothers to use it to grow crops.

5)         Nguuru Gakirwe Irrigation Project (supported by Catholic Diocese of Meru): Those who use this water grow variety of crops such as fruits and vegetables (okra, carella, tomatoes, paw paws, mangoes, etc.). There is however, complaint that water is not adequate to reach all the reserving members and is regulated.

6)         Ruungu-Karocho Water Project and Buffalo Irrigation Water project:  Both projects are located in Ruungu-Karocho area. People use the water from the two irrigation projects to grow vegetables and other crops.

7)         Gaceuni Borehole: It was rehabilitated by the county government where solar power was installed to pump water for domestic and livestock use. In addition, water is connected to nearby households by use of pipes. This is useful project to that rural population because it shortened the distance to the nearest source of water.

Other salient resilience initiatives include:

1)         Distribution of modern seed verities by county government.

2)         Capacity building by FAO, WFP, Caritas and government (department of agriculture).

3)         IFAD UTaNRM (Upper Tana Natural Resource Management) Programme resilience building activities

4)         Rehabilitated boreholes, seed provision, coordinates drought in the county (CSG)

5)         Kiaranthi Earth Dam in lower Kathangachini completed in July 2018. It holds 50,000 cubic litres. It provides water for livestock, water for irrigation, water trap for livestock, water kiosk for fetching domestic water.

6)         Food and water tracking

7)         NGOs – IAS is operating a school feeding programme dubbed “Plate-for-Plate”.

8)         Government programs on livelihoods --- water in Karani (students in Karani now have water)

9)         Department Agriculture is upgrading goats and cattle for meat and milk. The project is being funded by UTaNRM Programme.

10)     Department of Agriculture is upgrading chicken using Kenbro.

11)     Department of Agriculture is doing pasture land reseeding by sustaining Mukeria hills

12)     Caritas supports vaccination of livestock by capability building. When Department of Agriculture is funded by Caritas, they do mass vaccination of livestock.

13)     WFP through FAO promotes horticulture and focus in areas where there is irrigation.

14)     Upper Tana (UTaNRM progarmme is availing funding to projects that are geared towards promoting NRM for organizedgroups including agriculture. They meet 70% of the total project costs while 30% is raised by the applying group.

15)     FAO is promoting conservation agriculture.

16)     WB is doing project on climate change “Kenya Climate Change SMART” whose conservation agriculture is a component.

17)     Kenya Cereal Enhancement project cultivation of sorghum and green grams through supporting farmers with funds.

18)     Promotion of excavation of small water pans by the NDMA.

19)     PHO collaborates with IAS on a number of interventions such as school health, water treatment, and outbreak of cholera.

20)     Irrigation project such as Kathita Marimanti water supply, Kibung’a Gikimiki Water supply Gituma-Mutonga water supply, Mutonga Gituma Water Supply, Kithigiri Kamatungu Irrigation Scheme.

21)     Upgrading of boreholes (with solar system) by Ministry/Department of Water

22)     Earth dams (Turima Dam, Mariene Concrete Dam, Ntugi Earth Pan, Maitani Earth Pan,

23)     Rock catchment (Muroko Cathment, Kireru Rock catchment, Nthaara, Mwirua, Nkombo)

24)     IFAD supported a group in Kanjoro which bought a shamba in Gatunga and built a store. They now have a SACCO where they can save money.

25)     There are several organizations that help people to cope with shocks and stresses such as Caritas (Meru), they gave food vouchers to the community who would work in their farms as one way of motivation, caritas would offer food/vouchers.

26)     Food and Agriculture Organization trained local people on conservation agriculture (zai-pits) and modern ways of farming using methods like farrows etc.

27)     KALRO trained people on good agricultural practices and how to fight pest and the best pesticides to use.

Community perceptions on ongoing resilience and DRR interventions

Information on this sub theme is under development. In the meantime, the following can be stated. There is an underlying problem between the community people and their leaders, top to bottom and bottom to up, during the interviews, based on their responses, the shocks and stresses of the community are caused by others, the lower management will take blame middle and top management, when middle management consulted, they blame the lower and the top management fault towards their underdevelopment. Community is very happy about the ongoing programmes by IAS. Through key areas; education, health (ambulance mashinani), water supply and method of harvesting running water through water pads. More expectations by the community members especially in the areas where IAS did not manage to reach was coming out.

IAS Projects and their impact

Information on this sub theme is under development. In the meantime, the following can stated. IAS is not widely known in Tharaka apart fromMrimanti and Maragwa where it has been implementing project over the last decade. “Plate for plate” project is strategic since it operates in dry drought-affiliated zones where families put up to only one meal a day. In  Maragwa, which is dry place IAS has supported local people with livelihood projects.

 

Feasible entry points for an organization seeking to strengthen capacities and help in reducing vulnerabilities in Tharaka

Information on this sub theme is under development. In the meantime, the following can Stated. Many of the research participants reported that the best entry point was to the community members through chiefs and church leaders.