The Kenya Maize Development Program (KMDP) is a four-year project funded by USAID whose main objective is to increase rural household incomes by increasing maize productivity and production in target areas, increasing access to agricultural markets and business support services and improving the effectiveness of smallholder organizations.

Financial Services Associations are savings-led community financial institutions similar to credit unions. This program enables individual rural communities far from population centers to establish financial services associations which enhance their economic security, creating start-up capital for income generating activities or expanding current livelihood strategies.

Poultry specific surveillance / detection

Farming Systems Kenya in the Narok District of the Southern Rift Valley is establishing and strengthening a livestock marketing federation that will assist the community to access timely market information, organize joint livestock marketing to the Kenya Meat Commissions slaughterhouse at Athi River, lobby and advocate for positive policies and engage with the relevant authorities on other important issues that affect the Maasai such as education and infrastructure. See: http://www.cwsea.org and click on Food Security.

The Maasai pastoralist clans living in Loita and Keekonyokie have some of Kenya’s highest poverty rates. This project seeks to improve the livelihoods of these communities through the development of sustainable livestock disease control strategies and marketing. The livestock donated for this project will include over 70,000 cattle, 200,000 sheep and 240,000 goats as well as donkeys for transport. Heifer International, with Heifer Netherlands, will provide technical assistance and funding.

Community-based development in pastoral Massai communities in Narok District. Food security and livelihoods addressed through a commuity-based approach with local management, including interventions in water, education, agriculture, and health. Extensive focus on diversification of income strategies to cope with land pressure and decreasing herd sizes.

The project addresses the need for enhancing women’s employment and income, primarily among low-income women who are unlikely to access formal employment opportunities in the short term but could benefit from resources, technical inputs, knowledge, and information to improve products and market access.

Improve access to, and the quality of, water for human and animal consumption (wells, rainwater collection, djabias, pans), and drip irrigation. Increase community capacity to manage and maintain those water resources. Enhance the hygiene and sanitation by promoting the construction of household and communal latrines, and increase adoption of improved hygiene behavior.