Vibrant green pepper plants dot the landscape in a small garden within a church compound in Maralal, Samburu County. Their leaves spread out neatly in a nutrient-rich solution.
The plants are growing in a hydroponic system, an innovative farming technique adopted by Samburu Environment Justice Team, a youth-led community-based organisation. They see the technique, which entails growing plants using a water-based nutrient solution rather than soil, as a solution to food insecurity in the face of adverse climate changes.
Traditionally, green peppers are grown in cool and wet areas like Kiambu, Nyeri, and Murang'a in central Kenya. But in Maralal, where most crops fail due to harsh climate and unpredictable weather patterns, the youth group is changing the narrative.
The technology, which allows for the cultivation of crops in controlled environments, is particularly suited to the dry conditions of Samburu, where traditional farming has often been a struggle.
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