To strengthen a widow-led household’s food security, livestock livelihoods, and economic resilience through Mwerya rotational labour, rainfed maize cultivation, livestock husbandry, and syntropic agroforestry knowledge exchange, coordinated through the Sarafu Network voucher system and rooted in Giriama ancestral traditions of mutual care among the Mijikenda peoples of the Kenya coast. The project shows how community labour exchange and digital vouchers can substitute for costly hired labour, freeing scarce cash for essential household needs like children’s education.
*This Bioregional Land Node is working with Mycelium to collect and display more information about their land, community, and regenerative practices.
Joyce envisions building a large herd of goats and cows to produce milk for her family and the village, expanding her maize production on a bigger farm area, and securing her children's future through the income generated. Her wish centres on good rainfall — if the rains come reliably, she can produce more maize and feed her livestock so that they multiply and generate more products. Through continued participation in Mwerya and the Sarafu Network voucher system, she aims to keep freeing cash for school fees and household needs. The syntropic agroforestry beds begun in the kitchen garden with her son represent the first step toward diversifying the farm beyond maize monoculture.
Reduce erosion on sloped farmland through check dams and water-harvesting earthworks learned through Grassroots Economics training. Expand syntropic agroforestry from the kitchen garden to broader portions of the farm. Increase tree cover to build canopy, stabilise soils, and reduce evaporation. Integrate livestock manure into composting to rebuild soil organic matter. Improve upstream watershed health by retaining water and reducing sediment flow toward Takaungu Creek.
Strengthen Joyce's capacity as a widowed sole provider to feed her family and cover school fees. Expand livestock holdings — goats and eventually cattle — to produce milk and generate income. Increase maize production during the rainy season. Deepen participation in the Mwerya group to access labour without cash outlay, using Sarafu Network vouchers for community labour exchange. Transfer syntropic agroforestry and check dam skills from training at Mnyumbuni to the home farm.
