Ndabibi Environmental Conservation Centre 

Josphat Macharia is the founder and director of the Ndabibi Environmental Conservation Centre, in the Rift Valley in Kenya. Josphat is travelling in the US, hosted by his sponsors Vivian and Bill Gast from Ambler. Last week, Josphat spoke to a group of Pennypack Farm members and other guests, about his Sustainable Agriculture project in Kenya. We were treated to a great evening of story-telling!

Josphat explains how he needs to teach people to think differently about how they use the land - forced by a changing climate, with fewer rains, and with 5 times as many people who need to live and eat of the same land than just 40 years ago. It's about breaking traditions, and showing people the effect of breaking traditions.

For example: at the end of a growing season, Kenyan farmers burn the plant-leftovers - the corn stalks, etc. - to clean up the land for the next crop. Josphat teaches them, and demonstrates on his own farm, that it's better to leave the stalks and vines in place, on the ground, as a mattress, absorbing the little rain that falls, and preserving the moisture into the soil. Josphat's farm is green - while surrounding farms are brown. Josphat's corn is 6-7 feet high, while surrounding farms grow 4 feet corn.

This is the mission and work of Josphat's Environmental Conservation Centre: to experiment with different methods, to demonstrate it to others, and to gradually bring new, more sustainable methods to the surrounding farmers. And in doing so, improve the health of the people through better nutrition, improve education, economics of the town, and the community as a whole.

Josphat's story starts in new farming methods - but it then goes into many other directions: teaching kids, conserving water through new preservation methods, which in turn saves a lot of time for not having to fetch water 6 miles away, by foot or by bike. His lessons include solar cooking, HIV prevention and preserving the original woods, which are largely chopped down for firewood. His teachings bring everything together into one whole lesson about sustainable living.

While Pennypack Farm and Ndabibi Conservation Center share the mission of sustainable farming, we are in different worlds with different challenges. We're thankful to Josphat Macharia to spend the evening with us, and to the Gasts for their support and sponsorship.

Events at Pennypack Farm

New Class! Growing Gardeners for ages 10-14

First series starts May 5th, 4pm-5:30, $60/student

Mushroom Growing Workshop

Saturday, May 14, 9am-5pm 

Steve Gabriel of the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute will introduce participants to the world of mushrooms, their link to healthy soils and forests, and their growing potential on both a home and commercial scale.  Inoculate shiitake, oyster, and stropharia mushrooms and find out how to successfully raise multiple harvests.
Program held at Living Hope Farm, 461 Indian Creek Road, Harleysville PA 19438 

For a complete listing of classes and events,

click here for our online Calendar.