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Salesio Mugo, the brother of Dr. Jane Ininda, lives and farms near the village of Kangeta, about two hours north of Nairobi, Kenya. His tiny farm is located on a dry plateau southeast of Mt. Kenya where he and Jane grew up, and where the challenges of drought, poverty and hunger are relentless.
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I am Jane's brother. I am the fourth child out of nine. I am married and the Lord has given us two children, Kenneth and Lucy. Lucy is seven, and Kenneth is six. I got married in 1990.
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"You cannot plant just one variety. You plant other crops because then the rain can go away."
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I buy, I sell. I do a little bit of farming. We grow millet, sorghum, maize, green grains, yellow grains, and cowpeas. You cannot plant just one variety. You plant other crops because then the rain can go away. This is why we practice mixed farming. If you don't get the maize, you get the beans. Normally you get beans because they can last longer time without rain. It's the same with sorghum. Even if there's only one rain, you can harvest it.
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When we are planting a crop, we prepare our seed. We don't buy seeds from the city because the people there are only interested in making money. So we prepare our own. But this seed is not very good when there is no rain, or if it is not spaced correctly when we plant it.
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"We worry about insects."
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We worry about insects. There is one insect that grows in the ground when the rain comes. When the maize grows to one foot, there is another insect that will come and eat the plant.
The other problem is the stemborer that comes when the maize is three to four feet. It enters right to the inside of the maize. We put ash on it to fend it off.
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Now the problem that most affects people here when they are farming and when the maize is ripe, is the boll weevil. The boll weevil enters into the maize right before the harvest. So when we harvest the maize, we carry it from the shamba (Swahili for garden or small farm) to the storage. Now you cannot kill it, even if you've got pesticide.
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One problem here is everyone is planting too large an area. Some who own three acres only harvest three bags. Three bags only for three acres. Not good. My sister is showing us how to plant one acre and get ten bags. I have tried and I can see the difference. It's easier to care for and you can take the time to go inside each line of the maize to see how it's growing. This way you can control pests because you see when they are entering.
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"The main problem here is water."
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The main problem here is water: water for farming, water for using in the homes and even water for drinking. You must travel three kilometers to get water. We fill two tanks for our week. We use a cart to fetch the water. Most people use bicycles.
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There are some times when it is very dry. Even this tree, it becomes completely dry, there is not even a leaf. There are times when it becomes so dry you cannot see any green grass. In April, the rain can come very little, and then it goes forever. But if it comes, as it has come this year, you know, normally we get five rain intervals. Five rain intervals and the crops can grow. If the rain comes only three times, we cannot get any crop.
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"One cooks in the morning but not at supper because there is no water for cooking. During this time there is starvation."
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You know, August is a time when there is a very long dry season. One cooks in the morning but not at supper because there is no water for cooking. During this time there is starvation. Many people die from traveling long distances, looking for water and food. People stay in the area without eating for two or three days. Even if you have money, there's nothing to buy. People starve, they even die, for lack of food.
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"There's no security in farming."
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Instead of farming, many people think of keeping cattle. Animals are better than farming here. There's no security in farming. When it goes dry you can sell the cattle to the butchers. And when it becomes wet you can also buy, and then sell again. If you can make such a living off of buying and selling, it is easier than even the cultivating. Because farming here, there's no security in that.
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"Education comes when people are satisfied."
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A better life? People must have water. I think that's the priority. Then food will be plenty and people will be satisfied. If they are satisfied, the children are satisfied and will want to go to school. Education comes when people are satisfied; when they are hungry, they cannot even study. If water can be available, everything will go properly. This is how things can get better here.
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