Nakuru Living Lab

Innovation challenge Griincom: How to mechanise the composting processing to increase the volumes and improve the nutrient value of the organic fertilizer?

What is our innovation case about?

 

We, Griincom, are a self-help group located in ‘Mzee Wanyama’ area, pipeline, Nakuru. The group was started in 2015 and has a   membership of 11, mostly women.   Since the area is densely populated and the residents grow crops and keep livestock,  management of waste became a challenge that resulted to conflicts among the residents.. This prompted us to find a way to make value out of the waste and reduce the conflicts.   

 

The crop residues, animal and household waste are collected in a central place. This is in addition to waste collected from the main market. Through windrow composting system, we are making organic fertilizer. At the moment, it takes about 60 days to turn waste into fertilizer, depending on the weather condition. During these 60 days, we are manually turning the organic waste. We want to further grow the business by training more farmers on the composting technique. With higher volumes we can reliably supply organic fertilizer into the market.

The position in the food systems transformation towards regeneration and inclusion is:

Griincom plays an important role towards transforming the food systems to be more regenerative. The initiative recycles agricultural waste and brings it back into the farming process as organic fertilizer. While doing so, they are addressing pollution risks and social conflicts over waste. Furthermore, Griincom has opened up income opportunities for women and youth in the peri-urban slims

Griincom innovation challenge: How to mechanise the compost processing to increase volumes and improve the nutrient value of the organic fertilizer

There are different parts of the composting process that can be mechanized. First,  chopping of the crop residues. Second, mechanisation of the turning process, which has to be done on a daily basis. At the moment, we lack the financial resources to buy the equipment and furthermore, we are looking for the most efficient composting technique that fits into our local circumstances. We are therefore looking for support in technical expertise and financial resources to enable us increase efficiency in organic fertilizer production.

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Contact the Nakuru Living Lab team: nakurulivinglab@gmail.com

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