Green Dreams Organic Farming in East Africa http://greendreams.edublogs.org Green Dreams Ltd started in 2000 on 10 beautiful acres in Tigoni, Kenya. We were the first locally certified Organic farm in Kenya in 2004. Our company produces fresh vegetables, fruit, dairy and poultry products. We have a passion for healthy living and knowledge sharing with small-scale rural farmers. Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:17:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en A Bridge too far!!! http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/07/29/a-bridge-too-far/ http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/07/29/a-bridge-too-far/#comments Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:06:20 +0000 greendreams http://greendreams.edublogs.org/?p=284 Dom just works silently in the background. He recently walked over 8 kilometers (he calls it a nice stroll) with the guys from Kibera to get the vermiculture tanks………..True to his nature he took pictures along the way, of all things interesting including an almost 500 meter bridge spanning a 20 meter wide road crossing………..why the bridge had to do this is anyones guess? AND FOLK JUST LOVE IT!!!

This is Dom :)


Authored by greendreams. Hosted by Edublogs.]]> http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/07/29/a-bridge-too-far/feed/ It gets better and better!!!! http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/07/29/it-gets-better-and-better/ http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/07/29/it-gets-better-and-better/#comments Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:21:22 +0000 greendreams http://greendreams.edublogs.org/?p=281 I believe in the saying ‘A river will always flow it’s course’………..no matter what we do, what we think , how we plan………….somethings take on a life of their own…………and now once a dangerous dump site our Organic Farm in Kibera is taking off in all sorts of directions.

Yesterday was the first commercial sale of product !! Totally awesome!!
So added to the advantages of food production, food security, environmental conservation, Youth Reform, we can now add INCOME GENERATION………….

Dominic has been keeping close tabs with the group and is largely responsible for their success. Hats off to you Dom!!
Yesterday whilst helping sort out the infrastructure for their vermiculture tanks, he managed to get these pictures of the group’s first commercial sale of kales and spinach.

The girl in the picture didn’t want her pic taken but the guys insisted as they are so totally proud of their farm :)

Notice the sunflowers growing with the crops. We’re hoping they will act as both a shade canopy as the weather heats up as well as a crop to help extract heavy metals within the soil. Today we are submitting leaf samples of all the crops (kales, cabbage, corriander, spinach and sunflower) for testing and will post the results asap.
Fingers crossed!!!!!


Authored by greendreams. Hosted by Edublogs.]]> http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/07/29/it-gets-better-and-better/feed/ The Dates……… http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/07/29/the-dates/ http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/07/29/the-dates/#comments Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:02:26 +0000 greendreams http://greendreams.edublogs.org/?p=280 When I started this blog, I explained I was an absolute rookie to all things blogging. Today on showing Dominic the blog he reminded me to give an explanation on the dates on the first pictures. Actually, Wakio would be best to explain as she took the first pictures…………..It goes a bit like this……..we didn’t know how to adjust the date on the camera for a few weeks thus all the first pics are dated 2004!!

It really didn’t take 4 years to get this project off the ground :) though imagine if we took on a dump site the size of Dandora it just might!!

Happy reading………..:)

Su x


Authored by greendreams. Hosted by Edublogs.]]> http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/07/29/the-dates/feed/ From Garbage to Organic Veg! http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/07/13/from-garbage-to-organic-veg/ http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/07/13/from-garbage-to-organic-veg/#comments Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:46:44 +0000 greendreams http://greendreams.edublogs.org/?p=277 The Kibera Youth Reform Group transformed this garbage site

to this lush organic plot!!

105 days from start to harvest!!


Authored by greendreams. Hosted by Edublogs.]]> http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/07/13/from-garbage-to-organic-veg/feed/ Kiberas Youth Reform Organic Farm -Count down to first harvest!!! http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/07/13/kiberas-youth-reform-organic-farm-count-down-to-first-harvest/ http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/07/13/kiberas-youth-reform-organic-farm-count-down-to-first-harvest/#comments Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:37:32 +0000 greendreams http://greendreams.edublogs.org/?p=262 The Kibera Youth Reform Organic Farm originally a 3 meter deep garbage dump, is finally only days away from harvest!! The transformation which started in April 2008 has taken a mere three and a half months, prooving anything is possible.
In April, Claire Niala came to me with a proposition. The Kibera Youth Reform Group, a group comprising 70 girls and guys in Kibera who had decided to change their ways of crime, requested assistance with an idea they had. They wished to transform a garbage site into a farm, growing crops for their own consumption as well as for sale if possible.

To begin with, I needed to see the area in question and my friend Wakio Seaforth went into Kibera with Mr Saidi one of the representatives of the group. She returned with the following pictures

From then until now the youth have worked at a terriffic pace to make their dreams come true. Assisted by Dominic Wanjihia who trained them in setting up their drip irrigation system, Johara who arranged the soil tests, Zak who assisted in the early days, Claire who made the connections, raised finance and guided the group with their finances and myself…mainly co-ordinating, planning and advising, the following pictures are a testimony to the youth groups hard work and success.


Authored by greendreams. Hosted by Edublogs.]]> http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/07/13/kiberas-youth-reform-organic-farm-count-down-to-first-harvest/feed/ Appropriate Seeding-Easy Planting Tool? http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/07/01/appropriate-seeding-easy-planting-tool/ http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/07/01/appropriate-seeding-easy-planting-tool/#comments Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:45:04 +0000 greendreams http://greendreams.edublogs.org/?p=258 Dominic always impresses me. No two things are done the same way if he has anything to do with it.
We are growing sunflowers between the veg as part of an experimental solution to cleaning the soil. Rather than the usual stoop and plant , Dom designed an easy planting tool, a plastic hallow pipe with recycled yoghurt pot tied to the top and a stick tied to the bottom. Without stooping all you have to do is jab the stick into the ground to make a hole, take a couple of seed from the pot and drop them down the pipe Done! No back ache farming!

The guys and gals in the youth group are almost fully fledged farmers.


Authored by greendreams. Hosted by Edublogs.]]> http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/07/01/appropriate-seeding-easy-planting-tool/feed/ CHECK IT OUT!! http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/06/22/check-it-out/ http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/06/22/check-it-out/#comments Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:46:25 +0000 greendreams http://greendreams.edublogs.org/?p=253 Totally Awesome !! :)


Authored by greendreams. Hosted by Edublogs.]]> http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/06/22/check-it-out/feed/ Where there’s a will there’s a farm! http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/06/22/where-theres-a-will-theres-a-farm/ http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/06/22/where-theres-a-will-theres-a-farm/#comments Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:26:16 +0000 greendreams http://greendreams.edublogs.org/?p=248 The youth are ecstatic!! The farm is almost fully kitted, the first of its kind in Africas largest slum Kibera,

Where there’s a will, there’s a farm!!

Dominic making sure the piping fits!!


Authored by greendreams. Hosted by Edublogs.]]> http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/06/22/where-theres-a-will-theres-a-farm/feed/ First Scarecrow in Kibera!! http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/06/22/first-scarecrow-in-kibera/ http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/06/22/first-scarecrow-in-kibera/#comments Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:01:04 +0000 greendreams http://greendreams.edublogs.org/?p=246 One morning the youth decided the farm was not a real farm without a scarecrow :) Very cute:)


Authored by greendreams. Hosted by Edublogs.]]> http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/06/22/first-scarecrow-in-kibera/feed/ Drip Irrigation in Kibera! http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/06/19/drip-irrigation-in-kibera/ http://greendreams.edublogs.org/2008/06/19/drip-irrigation-in-kibera/#comments Fri, 20 Jun 2008 06:17:44 +0000 greendreams http://greendreams.edublogs.org/?p=237 My brother Dominic is back from Somalia where he has been designing milk cooling plants for the rural camel farmers. He is an absolute wizz with anything technical and voluteered to install the final stages of the drip system. Naturally, as all brother do, he changed my design……….admittedly for the better…….:) Much thanks and respect his way!!!

He has been teaching the guys and girls how to connect pipes, thread metal pipes, etc as the pics will show. ……..When I get them up!!!Don’t know why the system is giving me grief…………

He tells me the system will be ready to switch on any time within the next few hours!!!! Can’t wait!


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