Environmental research

Nyaru Dairy Farmers is a community based organization located in Mukangu area of Kirinyaga County in the Southern end of Mt. Kenya World Heritage Site. The group brings together Dairy Farmers from the locations of Kariti and Ruiru in Ndia Division. The group s overall objective is to improve the quality of life of its members through ecologically friendly zero grazing/dairy farming practices that can improve soil fertility enhance productivity through generation of biogas energy for domestic use and organic manure. With the effects of climate change reaching unprecedented levels, affecting rural livelihoods especially among dairy farmers in Mt. Kenya region, the group has developed this proposal in an effort to strengthen local capacity to address climate change mitigation and adaptation. The principle objective of this proposal is to; reduce carbon emissions emanating from fuel wood, charcoal, paraffin and exposed animal dung; and to enhance carbon sequestration. This objective will be achieved through the following major activities; installation of 12m3 fixed dome biogas digesters in at least 70 households, install biogas taping pipes and fitting, install a cooking stove, meter and disurfulize, cooking stove and lamp, as well as train households in service and maintenance of the plant. To qualify to benefit in the project each farmer will set aside a half acre portion of land for woodlot and plant an average of 100 tree seedlings per rain season translating to fourteen thousand tree seedlings per year.

Kenya