In September 2024, Ustawi Global approved a grant application from the Nyumbani Collective, supporting their mission of addressing food insecurity and sustainability in agriculture through poultry farming. James Kamau, Melanie Namukuru, and Samson Nyikuri make up the core team, pursuing their vision of a community-centric organisation that reduces the cost of poultry farming for local farmers through innovative and sustainable agricultural practices. They have been guided by Ustawi Global co-founder Thompson Morrison in this learning journey. 

The main learning in this phase of the project was based around the production of black soldier fly (BSF) larvae as an alternative protein source for chicken feed. Local farmers currently depend on imported soy as the main source of protein, an expensive venture with 70% of poultry farming costs attributed to feed. BSF larvae produce frass, which can be used as a sustainable, cheap, and eco-friendly fertilizer. Creating a BSF farm allows organic waste to be converted to chicken feed and fertilizer, introducing a circular farming system that allows poultry farming to become economically feasible for small-scale farmers.

Connections coming alive

This grant represents confidence in our ability to learn more quickly together than we could working alone.

James Kamau, farm owner

This project is rooted in community empowerment and resilience, working with local farmers to co-create solutions for their specific needs. They have been inspired by the work of Josphat Macharia of Ndabibi Environmental Conservation Centre, in Naivasha, Kenya and Jim Bruner of Mezzacello Urban Farm in Columbus, Ohio, USA. These connections have modeled how to blend sustainable agricultural practices with community engagement; using innovative methods while educating others about their mission.

Learning coming alive
Throughout this phase of the project, the Nyumbani Collective has deepened their understanding of how to better improve the yield of poultry farming operations.

A healthy brooder environment is essential for the first few vulnerable weeks of life. Many approaches have been explored including mud & branches, bricks, cardboard, wood and metal sheets. Samson Nyikuri, the project manager, followed his curiosity about the integration and application of technology, particularly cloud computing, into small chicken operations. The health of the flock has been monitored with different technology, for example temperature, motion, and humidity sensors were integrated into the environment to detect potential diseases.

Reducing the high cost of chicken feed required creative thinking from the collective.  What might we learn from our elders about sustaining our flocks? What if we processed low-value weeds into that feed? What if we used chicken manure to raise black soldier flies and collected the protein-rich larvae for the feed?  These questions stem from the learning trivium of indigenous wisdom, lived experience and science inspired by Ustawi Global supporter, Derek Peterson.

Communities coming alive
We are yet to fully realize the impact that this project has had on communities coming alive, though we expect that the local community in Malaa will find ways to connect through the work of the Nyumbani Collective.

We are constantly improving our ways of communicating with each other, our elders and community partners

Melanie Namukuru, Financial Manager of the Nyumbani Collective

What’s next?
This project would not have been possible without generous donations to Ustawi Global that enabled the grant to the Nyumbani Collective. Although the collective is currently focused on raising and selling chickens, lessons are being learned about collective decision-making, creative problem-solving, and magnifying the impact of their work. The team are creating shared experiences that can be applied to a variety of emerging opportunities, for example other applications like pig farming or pet care.

To support the future work of the collective to scale up to other communities nearby, click the button below.