In early December, we were invited to visit Kijaani Mtaani, a community-led land restoration initiative for farmers in the drylands of Kaani, Machakos County, Kenya.

Over the course of two days, they showcased how they’re experimenting with various farming methods to combat water scarcity. We also learned how they preserve and share native seeds and uphold their Indigenous culture.

We were deeply touched by the ways the people of Kaani are sustaining themselves and embracing resilient farming methods, from digging zaï pits to retain water to recycling kitchen and bathroom wastewater for irrigation and structuring gardens to survive droughts.

Kijaani Mtaani notably encourages the involvement of women and young people while also drawing on the wisdom of its elders. Its founder, Sydner Kemunto, is a young female agroecologist who served as a GLF Dryland Restoration Steward in 2025.

“Agroecological processes are organic; they work with nature,” she explains. “[Agroecology] helps the soil to restore itself naturally.”

We met with Mzee Nzioka, a local elder leading many farming innovations in Kaani. Outside his home, we gathered in the shade as he and a fellow elder, Veronica Kalondu, told us the story of Kijaani Mtaani over tea and sorghum porridge.

We then spent the afternoon touring Mzee Nzioka’s garden and those of his neighbors. The local residents often own only small plots of land and are therefore crafty in how they grow local staples such as maize, millet, sorghum and pumpkins for themselves.

Here are four innovative farming techniques we learned from the Kijaani Mtaani team. We’re sharing this with the hopes that everyone can better appreciate grassroots efforts to make the planet a better home for us all. 

Contrasting an abandoned and a thriving zaï pit planted with maize. Photos: Mariah Otieno

Digging zaï pits

One way farmers are retaining scarce rainfall is by creating zaï pits. Rather than planting crops in the topsoil, they dig deep square holes in which they plant their crops. When it rains, these holes store water, helping nurture the plant for many days. 

But this occasional rain isn’t enough. Zaï pits need to be continuously watered, weeded and fertilized with manure.

Using Azolla as organic animal feed

Kaani’s farmers use Azolla, a nitrogen-fixing aquatic fern, to support their crops. Azolla can be grown in shaded ponds or shallow containers of water and offers a cost-effective and sustainable animal feed.

To grow it, composted cow manure is mixed into shallow water and left to sit for two or three days, before adding an Azolla starter culture and gently rubbing it to break it into smaller pieces, which allows it to multiply more quickly. 

Everyone in Kijaani Mtaani wants to help each other grow food, so they share Azolla starter with each other.

Azolla grows remarkably quickly. Just a single kilogram of fresh Azolla culture is enough to produce 500 to 600 grams daily, which can be fed directly to livestock – mainly sheep, goats, pigs and poultry.

Keyhole and vertical gardens

While visiting various properties in Kaani, two main types of gardens stood out: keyhole and vertical gardens.

Keyhole gardens are circular gardens with a wedge cut out, shaped like old-fashioned keyholes. At their center are tall composting baskets filled with four layers of dried leaves, soil, manure and kitchen waste. 

As these layers break down, they release nutrients directly into the garden beds around them, feeding plants naturally and continuously. Around the center, raised beds are built with stones, sticks and organic materials. These raised beds help retain moisture and reduce erosion. 

Vertical gardens are another way some farmers in Kaani are capitalizing on limited space and water. By creating tiers of rings made of tires, plastic or other materials, farmers can plant various crops in a small area.

These gardens also feature water retention systems made of rocks at the top, allowing water to filter down slowly to feed the plants.

Conversations with Kaani farmers. Photos: Mariah Otieno and Sydner Kemunto

Organic pest control methods

As we toured the gardens, we also learned how Kaani’s farmers keep pests under control without using chemicals. 

One of their most effective remedies is something called tea manure – a homemade concoction that acts as both a fertilizer and a natural pest repellent. 

Tea manure is made by soaking goat manure in water and letting it ferment for a few days. Ash is often added to reduce the acidity of the soil on which the tea is sprayed. This compost tea 

The farmers also practice companion planting, which involves interspersing marigold flowers and onions with other crops and using their scents to repel insects.

Banana plants are also abundant in Kaani. Some residents pour extra soil or ash around the base of young banana plants to suffocate armyworms. 

To protect mango harvest from fruit flies, they use discarded plastic bottles filled with fermented juice or banana water with dish soap to trap flies.

What can Kenyan farmers teach the world?

After a knowledge-filled first day, we returned the next morning and again gathered to learn from community members, young and old. We watched as a group of women demonstrated how they grind locally grown millet into a paste using a pestle and mortar. 

They added this millet mixture to a pot of boiling water, stirred it until it became sticky, and then served it to us. 

Together, we sat and shared this meal resembling ugali (a cornmeal staple widely consumed in Kenya and many other African countries), appreciating the hard work of those who have learned to sustain themselves and their culture by cultivating millet and other crops. 

We also learned how farmers in Kaani are preserving and sharing native seeds.

“Money is good, but we value money so much, and it vanishes as fast as it comes,” Veronica Kalondu tells us.

Farming, she says, is practical, tangible and necessary. She hopes more and more people will grow to appreciate where their food comes from. 

As we said our goodbyes to those who warmly welcomed us in Kaani, the idea of the importance of food sat in our hearts. The appreciation of food, community, sharing knowledge and resources – these all sound like such basic things, but they’ve become almost alien concepts to many people today.

Sparse, erratic rainfall makes growing food difficult in Kaani, but its people are sustaining themselves and their culture by sharing knowledge and experimenting with farming methods. What might we all learn from this remarkable community and its people?