Stories & Testimonials

Paul Muigai

Hello, my name is Paul. I am a farmer and soil advocate from Kitale, Trans Nzoia county. I practice regenerative farming, where great emphasis is placed on soil life and health as the driver of the eco system.

I joined the iCow Soil Advocacy programme in June of 2021 and it has helped me really shift my thinking in not only farming but every aspect of my daily life. Changing focus to soil biology has helped me rapidly change the farms scenario. We have drastically reduced cost of farming, reduced pest and disease pressure that we can never think chemical interventions but to correct what may be failing in the soil. We are seeing better health, vigour and general crop performance including yields, than when we used to do things the conventional way.

Everything that we have done has also elicited a lot of interest from neighbours and others who have heard our story. This has opened a new window of opportunity where we can offer a service to help other farmers transition successfully to regenerative farming

I joined the iCow Soil Advocacy programme in June of 2021 and it has helped me really shift my thinking in not only farming but every aspect of my daily life.
Paul Muigai
Soil Advocate - Kitale, Tranzoia County

Dancun Okoth Okwanyo

I am Dancun Okoth Okwanyo Kenyan citizen from homabay county in Rachuonyo South subcounty, West Kasipul ward, Kodera South location, Karabach sublocation, Kachola village. I’m a farmer (small scale farmer) doing horticulture and crop farming with livestock. I had a dream of having improved cows and that’s when I found a link from Facebook concerning iCow. When I joined ICow and started sharing my farm activities for about 3 months, I was contacted by someone who called me and shared some information with me about iCow. The person advised me to download ICOW app from play store and there She told me I will get more important activities and courses that will help me archive my dreams.

 

I joined the icow programme in march 2021 and on July 2021 I again received a call from one of the icow officials who asked me if I can join a class of Boda Boda riders for SOIL ADVOCATE Course that will be conducted online once in a week and I was so excited over that and from there I joined the class of 2021 BSAP2. I managed the class despite challenges in the rural and community. When the course started there was a must that the involvement of a +1 is necessary and has to be a family member. There I chose my Wife to be my +1 . I trained her in many things I was learning and she adopted and started practising on our vegetables garden called perma-garden for the family and for market. Since that time as an Advocate of soil I started to mentor youths on how to do a regenerative agriculture in our society to bring back our soils to life again

I joined the iCow Soil Advocacy programme in June of 2021 and Since that time as an Advocate of soil I have mentored youths on how to do a regenerative agriculture in our society to bring back our soils to life again .
Dancun Okoth Okwanyo
Soil Advocate - homabay county in Rachuonyo South subcounty, West Kasipul ward, Kodera South location, Karabach sublocation, Kachola village
The Soil Advocacy program has given me diverse knowledge as a student, on how I can improve my bad soils and also as a farmer too
Sammy Mutuku
Soil Advocate

Team Makueni

The Soil Advocacy program has given me diverse knowledge as a student, on how I can improve my bad soils and also as a farmer too. I am able to understand more on a wide scope of the challenging factors of food production, good agricultural practices, sustainable, conservative, and regenerative agriculture on various food systems.

Am now able through capacity building in providing solutions and remedies on my farm and farmers, CIGs in my community in improving bad soils into healthy soils thus producing healthy and nutritious foods resulting to a healthy people and planet.

The reception has been a success in my area with many farmers embracing regenerative agriculture with more than 20 CIGs,SHGs,4 Primary Schools and 2 High Schools and being sensitized on Soil Integrity. Being a Soil advocate has enabled me to form a Conservation SHG, which is a registered group where we also volunteer in Environmental and Wildlife conservation awareness..

Recently won the iCow Soil biology community award 2022

Maggie Sitienei

I’m grateful for this SA program for the impact in my life and farming.

Since I learned of Compost making,  it replaced synthetic fertilizers which  resulted in health plants and better yields. Compost reduced cost and my farming became easy and affordable.

After learning about soil Intergrity I did zero tilling on my one acre farm and the results were incredible. Plants became more healthy compared to the times I was tilling the land.

Through this zero tilling on my farm my neighbors are impacted and they are looking forward to doing it.

Maggie Sitienei

Since I learned of Compost making,  it replaced synthetic fertilizers which  resulted in health plants and better yields.
Maggie Sitienei
Soil Advocate

Elizabeth Wangara

I am Elizabeth Wangara from Kakamega County.  A teacher by profession and a farmer.  I learnt about iCow from dig farms SMS, the soil advocacy program also was introduced via SMS from iCow on 20285

I After joining iCow and being a soil advocate, I have earned knowledge that I didn’t have before which I now put in to practice in my farm today.

The soil integrity experiment as shown in the pictures below.  I used the soil not interfered with and one from my vegetable shamba.

I have noted that the soil is good and healthy when not interfered with. I can now tell how a healthy soil looks like from what it physically contains. I  now know activities that affect healthy soil . I now know what Glomalin is, and its importance to soil.

– I now know the micro life in soil eg protozoa, amoeba, nematodes etc

 I Learnt compost making

The pictures below show the materials I use to make compost:- farm yard manure, grass, soil, ash, dry maize stuck, dry leaves, green leaves, water and EM2.  I now know the importance of the compost. I know and practice the application of the compost 

Materials I use to make compost:- farm yard manure, grass, soil, ash, dry maize stuck, dry leaves, green leaves, water and EM2. 
Since I learned of Compost making,  it replaced synthetic fertilizers which  resulted in health plants and better yields.
Elizabeth Wangara
Soil Advocate - Kakamega County

Peter Owino

The five years/or so I have been with iCow have only given me appetite for further education.

Now that I am a Soil Advocate learning Biology my high school favorite Subject I am ready to learn more and more. I am looking forward to acquiring a microscope in due course. Thank you.



Since I learned of Compost making,  it replaced synthetic fertilizers which  resulted in health plants and better yields.
Peter Owino
Soil Advocate - Kakamega County

Abdi Omar

I am a farmer and a Boda-Boda rider from Nyeri County. Since I joined iCow I have benefited in farming and soil improvement from the knowledge acquired from iCow. I have increased my yields and learned about compost making.

The compost has been helpful in improving the soil. Before joining iCow, I used fertilizers that increased the amounts of phosphates in the soil. I urge all farmers to practice organic farming to grow foods that are beneficial to their bodies, reduce the production cost and increase profits as well as finances.

Abdi Omars Gallery
I have benefited in farming and soil improvement from the knowledge acquired from iCow.
Abdi Omar
Soil Advocate -Kitale, Trans Nzoia County

2. Githunguri Dairy Farmers Society - iCow Survey, year 2017.

Githunguri Dairy Farmers Society is Kenyas third biggest dairy operation.

iCow reached out to GITHUNGURI DAIRY FARMERS CO OPERATIVE SOCIETY LTD offering them a trial for their farmers for 3 months to see if iCow helped them increase productivity. We tracked the milk yields from 6 months; 3 months before we started and during the 3 months of our service.

From our Survey conducted on to groups of farmers with cows producing milk below 8 litres and above 20 liters: 45% observe hygiene in both milk and milking hygiene, 45 % improved feeding practises by giving proper feeds and minerals, 18% prevented mastitis illness through observing hygiene and using teatsdips like Mastrite, 18% fodder management through growing own feeds and making silage, 9% de-worming, vaccinating and spraying respectively.

From milk records shared by the dairy farmers, they had increased their milk production by 19% in three months of being on the program and the daily milk collection had increased by 93,000 litres in the same period.