Agricultural Systems in East Africa

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Community leaders of Lamuria and faculty and students from Penn State, June 2009
  The Eco-Village initiative is part of course work done through the Pennsylvania State University.  This specific course focuses on conducting research on agricultural production in semi-arid regions of east Africa, culminating with an opportunity for application through on-site assessment work in Kenya.  The main objectives of our research were:
  •  To investigate the agro-ecological environment of Lamuria, Kenya and socio-economic conditions and agricultural practices in the Rift Valley and Central Province.
  • To identify soil management technologies and practices appropriate for a semi-arid environment and crops suited for such an environment, with an emphasis on castor and aloe.
  • To develop a community assessment tool for the Lamuria community to understand their practices and attitudes. While in country, students will participate in this assessment.
  • To conduct secondary research on markets available for the crops identified (or value-added processing of these crops), and while in-country, to complete this analysis.
  • To develop or compile learning materials for the Children and Youth Empowerment Centre relating to appropriate agricultural production practices.
  • To gain a greater understanding of and appreciation for Kenyan culture and history.
Now that our conducted research is completed, we are traveling to Kenya to further develop our findings with on-site assessments.