Agriculture forms the backbone of Tanzania’s economy, providing employment to about 80 percent of the population and contributing to 24.5 percent of the country’s GDP. Despite its contribution to food security and livelihoods, the sector faces a number of challenges related to productivity, among them farmers’ access to seeds. This is one of the reasons […]
The World Bank on June 7, 2017 projected Ethiopia as the fastest growing economy in Africa. In a report, Global Economic Prospects: Sub-Saharan Africa, the bank predicted Ethiopia to be at 8.3 per cent followed by Ghana and Tanzania at 7.2 and 7.8 respectively. Does this forecasted growth, however, mean better living standards for its […]
The role of fresh fruits and vegetables in nutrition is well recognized and in recent years, Kenyan consumers have increasingly embraced healthy diet options, therefore consuming more of fresh fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables contain micronutrients, fibres and plant proteins which are important for daily diet, and therefore are integral to a diversified nutritious […]
In September 2015, Governments adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (commonly referred as the Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs) as a response to eradicate poverty. Each year, countries are encouraged to review their progress in implementation of the SDGs. This year, Kenya is among the 44 countries (of which seven are African states) that […]
Marked on 17 May every year, the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) raises awareness on hate crimes, acts of persecution and hatred faced by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people worldwide. On the eve of IDAHOT, 16 May 2017, Hivos East Africa together with the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK), […]
As we commemorate this year’s International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT), I am reminded of the daily struggles and realities that sexual and gender minorities have to deal with. While East Africa nations enjoy their status as progressive nations in the 21st century and have included sustainable development goals in their national agendas, […]
The International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) is observed every year on May 17. It aims to stimulate international events that raise awareness of the human rights violations suffered by of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people. For IDAHOT 2017, Hivos wants to draw global attention to the difficult situation lesbians, gay […]
Philip Mutahi Ngunjiri is a commercial coffee and dairy farmer in Nyeri County. He learned about biogas through the Kenya Biogas Program’s (KBP) Biogas Extension Service Providers based in the region and immediately got interested in installing one. “It cost me a total of Ksh 66,000 (equivalent to 571 USD) to install this 6-cubic-meter digester […]
Grace Nyambura Gachuki, a dairy farmer in Kiambu County, used to refill the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) tank every three weeks. This was in addition to using charcoal and firewood to take care of all the household’s fuel needs. She had seen biogas digesters on TV, but got a better idea when her neighbour installed […]
Mirriam Wachuka lives in Bahati, Nakuru County with her husband and grandchild. She owns two dairy cows that enabled her to install a 6-cubic-meter biogas digester in May 2016. She had seen one on TV, but thought it was an expensive affair. Then one day at the community centre, her friends told her more about […]
Alfred Karanja of Kiambu County prides himself in being a biogas digester owner because of its many benefits. He purposely installed a bio-digester to take advantage of the organic manure (“bio-slurry”) that is produced as a by-product, as well as gas for cooking and heating. His family no longer has to fetch firewood, and the […]
Buikwe District is located in the central part of Uganda. With approximately 98,000 households engaged directly or indirectly in small-scale farming, agriculture is the district’s main economic activity. Buikwe residents face myriad challenges every day, among which malnutrition, a wide income gap between producers and co-producers in rural and urban centres, inadequate extension services, poor […]