Food Security & Nutrition
In Marsabit and other arid areas, families face chronic food shortages due to recurring droughts, poor soils, and lack of diverse crops. Children and mothers are especially vulnerable to malnutrition. Our Food Security & Nutrition programs tackle these challenges by promoting better farming, improved nutrition, and innovative community projects that ensure everyone has enough to eat.
Aliyeik Initiative works with local households (many of them women) to increase food production and dietary diversity. We introduce climate-smart agriculture techniques suited for drylands – such as drought-resistant crops, kitchen gardens, and rainwater harvesting. In pastoralist communities that traditionally depend on livestock, we help diversify livelihoods with small-scale farming so that families have alternatives when drought hits. Nutrition education is also key: we hold village workshops on balanced diets, safe food preparation, and infant feeding practices to combat child stunting. By empowering households with knowledge and resources, we are reducing malnutrition one village at a time.
“Lishe Poa” (Kiswahili for “Good Nutrition”) is our flagship nutrition initiative, launched in partnership with local women’s groups in Nairobi’s low-income settlements. This project developed a highly nutritious, affordable porridge flour made from local ingredients like sorghum, millet, amaranth, and peanuts. We work with community kitchens to produce and distribute this porridge to families with young children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers. The Lishe Poa product has been a game-changer – providing vitamin-rich, protein-packed meals to over 1,200 children under five. Not only does it improve child health, it also creates income for the women who manufacture and sell it in their neighborhoods. “Before, I could only afford weak tea for my babies,” says Jane, a young mother in Kasarani. “Now I mix Lishe Poa porridge every morning. My youngest’s health has really improved – she’s stronger and rarely falls ill.” The project’s success has attracted interest from county health officials, and we plan to expand Lishe Poa to more communities and even local schools.
In Marsabit, we are establishing a Dryland Demonstration Centre – a community farm where farmers and herders can learn and practice sustainable agriculture. This demo centre showcases techniques like permaculture gardens, moringa tree farming, and drought-tolerant crop varieties. Farmers attend hands-on trainings and see results in real time: green vegetables growing in sunken beds, drip irrigation systems fed by harvested rainwater, and moringa trees flourishing in semi-desert conditions. By exchanging ideas at the centre, experienced elders and young farmers together discover better ways to ensure food security. The centre also doubles as a seed bank, distributing hardy seeds and seedlings to villages. Through this initiative, at least 50 farming families have started their own kitchen gardens or agro-pastoral plots, improving their food supply and nutrition. “It’s amazing to see green vegetables in a place that was just dust,” remarks a local chief during a recent field day, underscoring the transformative potential of these practices.
Thanks to our interventions, communities have begun to break the cycle of hunger. Households report more reliable meals even in dry seasons. Kitchen gardens supported by Aliyeik now supply fresh vegetables to over 300 families in Marsabit. Malnutrition screening in program areas shows improving trends – fewer children are underweight, and more mothers understand the importance of diverse diets. We’ve also seen an increase in farmers growing nutrient-rich crops like orange-fleshed sweet potato and cowpeas introduced through our trainings. By combining immediate nutritional support (like Lishe Poa porridge) with long-term agricultural training, we address hunger both in the short term and at its roots. Our approach is community-led – ideas often come from locals. For example, women in one village started a “food bank” where each harvest they collectively store surplus grains for use by any family in need during drought. Aliyeik Initiative supports such homegrown solutions, scaling up what works. Together, we are cultivating a future where no child has to go to bed hungry.
Mariam, a farmer in Laisamis, Marsabit, used to depend solely on livestock. When drought killed half her goats, her family went hungry. After joining our dryland farming training, Mariam planted a small garden of legumes and leafy greens. This year, despite a bad drought, her garden fed her family and even yielded extra sacks of cowpeas that she sold at the market. “I felt proud seeing my harvest,” Mariam says with a smile. “Now I know we can survive even if the rains fail.” Her resilience shows how empowering communities with skills and knowledge leads to food security and hope for the future.