Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
table 3.12
actions Planned by communities in Intensive survey site, Kiambu district,
Kenya, 1997
Githima
Gitangu
Kiawamagira
mahindi
Gikabu
thiririka
Start a
self-help
medical
clinic
Rehabilitate
Gitangu
water project
Carry out road
repairs and
regular
maintenance
Carry out
road repairs
and regular
maintenance
Construct a
village
dam
Organize
security
meetings
Carry out
road repairs
Carry out
regular
maintenance
Start a water
supply
project
Start
income-
generating
activities
Organize
security
meetings
Organize health
training,
rehabilitate
health center
Rehabilitate
water
system
Start a mobile
medical
clinic
Request for
extension
services
Start a water
supply
committee
Improve
existing
dispensary
Request for
extension
services
Add
classrooms
to secondary
school
Organize
community
security
groups
Promote
energy savers
and
agroforestry
Start a village
medical
clinic
Start
self-help
projects
Seek title deeds
for public
utility lands
Start a village
polytechnic
Start village
security
groups
Start a village
nursery
school
Seek
extension
services
Start a water
supply
scheme
Start village
extension
programs
Start a
community
dispensary
Form small
marketing
cooperatives
rehabilitation, electrification, water supply, expansion of school, and then develop-
ment of an extension program.
Gitangu village opted to leave water supply as the first priority, but extension was
moved to the second place. Soil conservation was given first priority in Kiawama-
gira, followed by road rehabilitation and control of flooding. Mahindi retained only
two items in their action plans: (1) rehabilitation of the access road and (2) devel-
opment of an income-generating project. Gikabu-na-buti village revised its action
plans to electrification, water supply, income generation, and extension. Thiririka
reordered its action plans to begin with water supply, followed by development of a
market for farm produce, extension, and then road rehabilitation.
3.4 dIscussIon
The combination of the health language and participatory methods provided a means
for the communities to make qualitative evaluations of their agroecosystems. There
were, however, important constraints to this process, mainly stemming from cultural
practices that inhibited public discussion of many of the issues impacting negatively
on the health and sustainability of these agroecosystems.
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