Support Ekocity Farming Alliance: Help us transform urban spaces into productive, sustainable food systems. Donate via PayPal

Introduction

Ekocity Farming Alliance is a dynamic social enterprise committed to transforming urban spaces into productive, sustainable, and healthy food systems. The initiative was founded to address three interlinked issues affecting urban development: food insecurity, food safety concerns, and the declining participation of youth in agriculture.

Rapid urbanization has significantly reduced available arable land as it increasingly competes with housing, infrastructure, and commercial development. As a result, most food consumed in cities travels from distant rural areas and, in many cases, from outside the country. The cost of transportation and logistics is ultimately passed on to consumers, raising the price of food in urban markets. For many low-income urban households, this means reducing the quantity of food consumed, lowering the frequency of meals, or resorting to poor-quality food. Urban food insecurity therefore remains a pressing challenge.

The second concern relates to food safety. Conventional agricultural production systems often rely heavily on chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, sometimes applied indiscriminately. These inputs have well-documented risks to both human health and the environment. These concerns highlight the urgent need for safer and more sustainable food production methods.

The third motivation behind Ekocity Farming Alliance is the very low participation of youth in agriculture. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), youth represent only about 10% of the agricultural workforce, despite forming 25.4% of the total labour force. In Kenya, the average age of a farmer is approximately 61 years, highlighting the urgent need to engage youth in agriculture.

Ekocity Model Farm

To respond to these challenges, Ekocity Farming Alliance established a model urban farm located in Egerton, near Egerton University in Nakuru County, Kenya, approximately 230 km northwest of Nairobi. The farm serves as a practical demonstration site showing how urban and peri-urban areas can become productive food landscapes.

Within an area of approximately 10,000 square feet, the model farm hosts over 16 integrated agricultural enterprises, guided by agroecology principles that emphasize biodiversity, circularity, and resource efficiency. These enterprises include dairy goats, poultry, rabbits, fish, and turkeys, alongside emerging food and feed systems such as vermiculture, black soldier fly production, cricket farming, and Azolla cultivation. The farm demonstrates innovative, space-efficient production technologies including cone gardens, hanging gardens, raised beds, hydroponics, and aquaponics.

Community Engagement and Learning

Since its establishment in 2024, Ekocity Farming Alliance has grown into an important learning and demonstration hub for the community, offering practical exposure to sustainable food production systems. The farm has organized 12 community training sessions covering topics such as poultry production, insect farming, vegetable cultivation, composting, seed banking, and mushroom farming, reaching 657 community members. In addition, the farm has hosted 321 visitors through guided farm tours and educational visits.

The model farm also actively supports education and youth learning, having welcomed school groups through Community-Based Education (CBE) programs, providing hands-on exposure to modern food production systems. Ekocity further collaborates with Egerton University, where 176 students have benefited from academic visits, while 12 students have undertaken practical attachment placements at the farm.

Water Management and Production

To sustain and expand these activities, water is a critical resource for the model farm. Reliable access to water is essential for maintaining healthy crops, supporting integrated livestock enterprises, and ensuring continuous production throughout the year. The farm promotes efficient water circulation within its integrated production systems. For example, nutrient-rich water from the fish pond is used to irrigate crops, supplying plants with natural nutrients.

Currently, the farm relies on rainwater harvesting, as the area receives over 400 mm of rainfall annually. Ekocity Farming Alliance proposes to expand its water harvesting and management system to strengthen resilience and improve farm productivity, including installation of an additional 100,000 litres of water storage and a solar-powered pump.

Budget and Investment

The estimated cost for implementing the proposed water infrastructure improvements is CAD 12,500. Once completed, the expanded system will enable the farm to produce all-year-round, increasing output of vegetables, herbs, fruits, and fish from the ponds, while also supporting value addition activities.

Call to Action

Join us in making this vision a reality. At Ekocity Farming Alliance, we are working to transform urban spaces into productive, sustainable, and safe food systems. We empower communities with practical skills and inspire youth to view agriculture as a viable and innovative career path.

To achieve this vision, we invite individuals, partners, and well-wishers to support the initiative through donations. Donations can be made securely through PayPal: Donate via PayPal