David Otieno, Kotengu Village Farming Project
Striving for Food Security and Water Access in a Kenyan Village
Meet David Otieno, a 24-year old certified permaculturist living in Homa Bay, Western Kenya (scroll down for the map!).
Before we continue with the introduction, I want to thank
, founder of the Africa Permaculture Support Network and David’s friend, mentor, and advocate, for filling out the details of David’s story.David, who is the eldest of four, lives with his Grandmother Plista (age 84) and three younger siblings. When he was seven years old, he and his siblings were orphaned when both parents were killed in a car accident. After this tragedy, the four children went to live with their grandmother.
Although David graduated from high school in 2019, where he excelled at math and science, he was not able to continue his education in college, as was his dream, due to lack of funds and his responsibility as eldest child to take care of his younger siblings and grandmother. Responsibilities include, for example, paying for food, housing, school fees, medical costs, and working on his grandmother's maize farm.
Instead, he decided he would start the Kotengu Village Farming Project to grow his own food to ensure food security as well as provide the necessary income to help pay his siblings’ school fees.
In 2023, David decided to further his skills in support of his Farming Project, by attending a six month Permaculture Design Course (PDC) at Permo Africa Centre. This was not easy considering all of his other responsibilities at home, but he managed to complete the course and become certified as a Permaculturist.
Quick definition check! What is permaculture? Here is a short definition provided by the Permaculture Research Institute (for more, read this short article): “Permaculture (the word, coined by Bill Mollison, is a portmanteau of permanent agriculture and permanent culture) is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems.”
David, now as a certified permaculturist, is a positive example in his community by working hard on his small farm and putting permaculture principles into practice. Besides working his own 1/4 hectare farm, David is working on a project to restore a community pond that was dug by his grandfather, but is now filled in with mud. Once cleared, the pond will provide water to his village during droughts.
David’s Banana Stem Selfie
When I asked David to share a favorite picure of himself, I immediately received this selfie with a stem full of bananas. What a picture! Especially since banana stems can hold upwards of 150 “fingers” and weigh up to 100 pounds!
Who Changed Your Life, David?
When I asked this question, David did not hesitate to answer “My grandmother.” Here is David and his 84-year old grandmother Plista outside of their house. Plista raised David and his three younger siblings after both of his parents died in a car crash when he was seven.
Where in the world is David?
Short answer - Kenya!
Long answer: David lives in Rangwe, an agricultural farming town located in Homa Bay County in Western Kenya. While Rangwe is situated near Lake Victoria (which might suggest there is plenty of water), this area is considered semi-arid to arid.
As a result of deforestation, climate change and other factors, Homa Bay increasingly experiences a destructive cycle of heavy rains and flooding followed by extreme drought.
As mentioned above, David has plans to clear out a nearby pond to provide his village with a more reliable source source of water. Access to clean sources of water are one of the primary problems that David, his family and the village continue to face.
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Felicitaciones David!!!
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