I’ve just skipped across Kenya from Kisumu to a place called Nyumbani Village, a self-sustaining community that serves orphans and elders who have been left behind by the “lost-generation” of the HIV pandemic. It’s well-resourced village with a population of about 950.

I’m here with 40 other students, taking a permaculture course over the next two weeks. We arrived under the heat of the afternoon sun and had a tour of the site. The first stop was an aquaponics experiment consisting of two big tubs filled with baby tilapia fish. These fish are fed excess worms from a wormery which excrete nutrients into the water. Using a basic solar powered bilge pump, the nutrient rich water is pumped into several containers, made from split barrels. These barrels are filled with rocks and stones out of which vegetables are being grown. Because of the constant trickle of nutrients passing through the stones, vegetation can grow without the need for any soil. The water is flushed back to the ponds once the tubs have filled to a certain level. Very cheap to build and a potential technology for areas lacking in any soil.

Next we visited a biogas system which converts cow dung into cooking gas for the kitchen. Then onto a womery, here’s a little fact, with enough medium (kitchen scraps etc) they double in population every 20 days. Love it.

The latrines here separate the urine from the poo. The urine is diluted with water and used to support growing. The poo is processed in a separate enclosed area where it is broken down and used as a source of manure for tree planting. The village has a 5 acre plantation of native Melia Trees - about 28,500 trees. These trees will provide a high value timber, which can be a sustainable fuel source

Altogether an interesting place. Tomorrow the permaculture course starts properly. More to come.