Former workers in an old mining district in Kenya are being given agricultural skills to farm abandoned mining land and improve their livelihoods.
The Migori District in Kenya used to have a thriving mining industry but in 1966, companies packed up, leaving behind a lot of abandoned land and a lot of unemployed miners. Whilst the miners returned to the land to mine for gold, this venture has proven dangerous and limited, requiring long trips into the abandoned, rocky and depleted mines. Yet even today, the natural progression for many children is to leave school early and become miners, whilst the agricultural activities in the region remain low.
CNFA is a non-profit organisation that has been working with the Kenyan Agriculture Market Development Trust (AGMARK) since 2007 to help miners develop new skills for better financial opportunities. Agriculture is helping miners achieve a more stable and profitable income that achieves great impact on the surrounding community.
The new farmers have been provided with improved seeds and fertilisers, and have been trained in sustainable methods of farming. CNFA has also connected farmers with input suppliers and output markets, who can advise farmers on what would be most profitable to grow. The project has helped to open the community’s eyes to new, effective farming techniques and tools, encouraging them to go beyond the subsistence agriculture they have always practised.