Agriculture At Imprezza
Agriculture is a core subject in the curriculum of rural Kenyan schools, including Imprezza Academy
In 2025 we completed our security fence. We plan to set up a free range poultry unit to supply eggs to the school and sell any surplus to generate additional income.
We plan to adopt a conservation agriculture method of farming that should maximise the potential of the land and allow for soil management while resisting the ravages of soil erosion, too much or too little water.
When possible, crops are grown in a polyculture method alongside each other on one plot of land. This allows the replenishment of the soil. Growing legume crops with peanuts or alfalfa, for example, allows nitrogen-fixing bacteria to thrive in the soil.
A spiral design of growth on raised beds resists rain water draining away too quickly and also accommodates progressive planting of seed, and therefore progressive maturation of plants so that not all the crop is ready for harvest at the same time.
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During Catherine’s visit to the UK in 2020 she met with a number of people including Mr Stewart Henchie, a former Head Curator at Kew Gardens, London.
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Adult Education
Founder and Director of Imprezza Academy, Catherine Omanyo, wants to help the local community as well as the students. So the our farming methods will be shared with our neighbours. One local farmer said that due to these more successful farming practices, he has made enough money to send his son to University. The Ecological Organic Agriculture Initiative in Africa (EOA) has been a valuable support to this end.
Community Groups
Subsistence farmers have come together to form a cooperative and keep chickens. They are able to develop a much better business model by working together and are able to farm to higher standards. Here they are having one of their regular meetings under a mango tree, with Catherine in the middle.
