KAMWE SELF HELP GROUP’S AGRO-FORESTRY & INDIGENOUS TREES NURSERY PROJECT PROPOSAL

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Kamwe Self Help Group was formed and registered in the year 2007. It was formed as a social outfit for the purpose of addressing the various social, economic and environmental problems affecting the residents of Kalinga and Mwembeni villages. It is located in Kibwezi Constituency 10 kilometres away from Kibwezi Town; some 500 meters off Mombassa road.

The Kamwe SHG is located in an area which receives sporadic rains, barely enough for floral regeneration. Most vegetation in the area is indigenous acacias and other shrubs of the Savannah characteristic. Overgrazing from domestic livestock and charcoal burning has worsened the degradation process.

The group started a long term chicken project with three member donated chickens which has this far grown to a total of 35 chickens sold after every two months. The group also does basketry, which is designing and making of baskets, a project aimed at raising money to buy each member sheep and goats. “Merry go round” is another activity that keeps the group together. During rainy seasons the group rents a farm where it does agricultural farming and trains the community on sustainable farming methodologies to increase right yields. The group members pay a monthly contribution of ksh.50 and membership of ksh 300. It has a 21 members grouped into 3 groups for effective organization of activities. A democratically elected committee of seven members, of which three are women and four men, directs the daily affairs of the group,

During the year 2008 the group sold its first batch of 35 chickens and managed to open a group account with K-REP Bank Kibwezi branch KAMWE SELF HELP GROUP. 027040000891.

PROJECT INRODUCTION

 The proposed project intends to initiate change to the local environment to suit the goals of the 21^st century. This will change the image and microclimate of the surrounding communities. It will also develop a positive attitude to preserving environmental bio-diversity for a better future.

Kamwe Self Help Groups Agro-forestry and Indigenous Trees’ Planting Project is a project aimed at improving the Environment of the Semi Arid (ASAL) Kalinga and adjacent Mwembeni village location and its neighbour area. We intend to start a tree nursery for raising indigenous and agro-forestry seedlings for reforestation of the dilapidated environment.

The kamwe self help group members will each plant 20 seedlings a year which translates to 21 People x20seedlings = 420 seedlings in a year within its property. It aims at donating and selling seedlings at break-even price to neighbouring institutions like schools, churches, and the general public with a bonus of two seedlings to every five seedlings bought.

Over time the project will impact not only the environment, but also residents living within the environment.

The project will be managed by Kamwe Self Help Group members overseen by its committee. This team will be chaired by the chairperson of the group with close consultation from the Kenya Forest Department in Kibwezi division.

The day to day running of the project will be overseen by a hired projects coordinator who will be reporting to the management committee of Kamwe Self Help Group.

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION

Kamwe Self Help Group is located in the plains of Kibwezi in the upper midland zone 5-6 (UM5-6)With scanty trees mainly the acacias and balanites species, most of which have been wiped out by charcoal burners. The open plains need trees to regulate the arid microclimate.

PROJECT GOAL AND OBJECTIVES

• The project goal is to raise 10,000 seedlings for planting by the end of 2013.
• The objective is to raise 5,000 indigenous and Agro-forestry seedlings for planting and distribution each planting –rain season. This will translate to 2seasons at 5,000 seedlings = 10,000 seedlings by December 2012.
• Further it will be an eye opener to majority of the neighbouring villagers on how they could impact on the environment by resorting to tree planting and reforestation culture.

ANTICIPATED RESULTS

Within each planting season 5,000 seedlings of the soil friendly type will be planted.

Trees as an alternative for fuel will be established to support the over 300 households and children will spend more time reading as they currently contravene the child labour Act by fetching fire wood after school.

METHODOLOGY

The project will cover the Kalinga and Mwembeni village premises and the entire Ndetani sub location; further east the two villages where Kamwe is based.

The first phase will have 700 seedlings planted within the Kamwe member’s homesteads. The rest will be raised distributed and planted in identified location deemed most needy. Target beneficiaries hence will include even the wider Ndetani sub location.

The seedlings will be raised within the Kamwe Projects’ Tree nursery. 

                                                      

SUSTAINABILITY

After the completion of the first phase, the project will incorporate grafted fruit tree seedlings like mangoes, citrus, papaya, avocados, and passion fruit for sale to generate income for the project.

We intend by the third phase the project to be fully self sustaining and able to meet its operational bills.    

 POTENTIAL IMPACT

Trees play a major role in economic and environmental development

They provide:

Employment – - management of the forest, book keeping

Income            - carving, charcoal, poles, timber sales

Water              - catchments soak and retain water for gradual release to streams

Soils                - enriches soils, wind break run off of catchments stabilizes soils

Fuel                 - firewood charcoal

Raw materials             - paper mills, furniture and building industry

Fodder/ food   - feed for livestock and food to humanity

WORK PLAN

The estimated period of the project will be 3 years. In the first a half the year the tree nursery will be established to have pilot projects seedlings ready for planting by January 2009.

The major production will be ready by April 2009 rains.

Objective	Activities	Time Frame				Resources	Partners	Indicators
Nursery site preparation	Digging, and ground levelling	1st ¼ X	2nd ¼ -	3rd ¼ -	4th ¼ -	Levelling boards, spirit level, Hoes, rakes, spades, wheel barrows	MOA, NEMA  volunteers Casual workers Kamwe members	Level ground
Planting of seeds	Filling of poly tubes/bags with potting mixture, Direct sowing in poly tubes/ bags, and arrangement of poly tubes/bags Planting of seeds in nursery beds.	-	X	-	-	Poly tubes/bags, watering cans, wheel barrow, rakes, pipes	Kamwe members volunteers Casual workers	Successful germination
Transplanting	Pricking out in poly tubes/bags	-	X	-	-	Manure, poly bags cans, wheel burrows,	Kamwe members volunteers, casual workers	Successful bags arrangements
General management (weed and pest control)	Fertigation, watering, spraying	X	X	X	X	Human labour and expertise, chemicals (pesticides, fungicides) fertilizers	Kamwe members	Healthy tree seedlings
First planting of 200000 seedlings	Transplanting	-	-	-	X	Kamwe members	Neighbouring Community Municipality	Successful planting of 20000 seedlings

KEY PLAYERS

Ministry Of Agriculture

Kamwe self help group

Partner Donors

Local administration

The Management Team will be responsible for Planning, Implementation, Monitoring and evaluation of the Project.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

The seedlings in the nursery and out-planted in the field will be monitored for growth rate, survival, management/protection

The PME team monitor for corrective measures at the end of each phase. They will also plan for planting, replacement, weeding and watering when necessary.

ORGANISATIONAL CAPACITY

The Community Development Department Projects’ implementation team will have the overall responsibility of the project since its part and parcel of the management Team.

The overall responsibility will rest with the Management Committee and funding arm –Daystar University.

However the Kenya Government –the Ministry of Environment Forestry Department and the ministry of agriculture will offer Technical and material support where required within their jurisdiction.

ACCOUNTING CAPACITY

At the moment the group has no other sources financing for the proposed project. The materials and inputs have to be procured, seedlings raised only when the funds are available.

On this note therefore we call upon the government of Kenya through the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to come over board and finance this worthy project.

When the funds will be availed our books will be well kept and at the disposal of the stakeholders for scrutiny.

Government and external auditors will Audit our books and qualified Accountants amongst our members will keep our books.

PRIORITY AREA

Kamwe Self Help Group will give the member’s plots of land the first priority and the small ¼ acre piece of land given to the project by one of our well-wisher and a member of the group where Kamwe is currently based as it works along a worth while course through this project to get its own piece of land to start the project.

BUDGET

Item description	Quantity	Unit cost	Total	Special Comments
Honda generator	1	20,000	20,000
Wheel burrows	2	3,000	9,000
Plain jembes/ Hoes	10	450	4,500
Fork jembes	5	700	3,500
Budding knives,	2	500	1000
Pesticides/fungicides	4	500	2000
Poly tube roll	50kg	250	12500
Poly bags 12”	100	10	1000
Rooting hormone	3	300	900
Seccateurs	2	300	600
Hay forks	5	700	3,500
Shovels	5	300	1,500
Rakes	5	200	1,000
Hammers	3	400	1,200
Hose pipes	2	2,000	4,000
Watering cans plastic	5	400	2,000
Pangas	5	300	1,500
Shade nets 75%	5msq	300	10,000
Poles	30	200	6,000
Barbed wire	3rolls	3,000	9,000
Chain link	5	3,000	15,000
Binding wire	5 kgs	200	1,000
Store 15x10ft	1	20,000	20,000
Seeds various	15	500	7,500
Books of record	10	200	2,000
Education and training	2	15000	30,000
Labour workers 1yr	2	Casual	12,000
Contingencies	1	10%	5,940
Market awareness			12,000
miscellaneous			10,000
Estimated Total Return from  sales yearly	700*12= 1,400	10
GRANT TOTAL			210,140