After three to four years of ground experience. It was my initiative something should be done to promote the use of this precious grass. This is how it all started on April last year I decided to make a trial. I presented the grass as an exhibit at a show organized last year by a local NGO (Ngua Mlambo) at the exhibition at Voi. The response by the community was good and encouraging. As I stood on the stand to explain the vetiver grass system, its uses and it's relation to human life and environment. I stayed at the show for four consecutive days on self sponsorship, from then it took me to task of reaching various groups (CBOS) and take up classes for over three to four hours to explain the grass and it's uses through this report I managed to form the Voi River Vetiver Project in May last year. It's members hail from Voi and the adjacent neighbourhood of vetiver farmers from Sagalla. The source of vetiver grass in Taita Taveta district as indicated by the 2001 American Peace Corp report by Eric Jollife who left Sagalla to live in his homeland. Early this year I took another step ahead and met with two CBOS in Taveta of Taita Taveta district where Elnino rains and seasonal floods caused massive destruction leaving the land bare and naked, and as such needs a lot of land reclamation and rehabilitation.
The response of the two groups was good and it was decided to use this technology to reclaim and rehabilitate the land. I have already purchased two thousand vetiver slips to be bulked, and Kitobo community conservation of the environment activities are also budgeting for vetiver slips for bulking.
Special thanks goes to Dr Owino of Egerton University for assisting me by sending a video tape vetiver modernized grass under vetiver CD. These materials helped me a great deal in facilitating.
I am looking forward for consultation to National Environment authority (NEMA), coast development authority (CDA),UNEP for these are environmental activists and the Vetiver Network and the Southern Africa Vetiver Network if they can chip in and save the situation and fund this initiative of mobilizing and sensitizing the concerned Government agencies and the community in general towards this technology.
I
look forward towards your response.
Report from Anthony Nyatta Mwasagha, P.O. Box 223 Voi. Kenya