Getrude Okutoyi Alworah is a Plant Pathology Research Scientist working with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization- Coffee Research Institute (KALRO-CRI). She is a member of the Alliance of Women in Coffee Association (AWIC) a Non-Governmental Organization based in Nairobi, Kenya where she volunteers to offer technical support to the over 500 members and other women in the Kenyan coffee industry. In 2014, together with her colleague Dr. Cecilia Kathurima they initiated a program they called ‘coffee kitchen gardens’. In this program they bought 20 coffee seedlings using their own funds and issued them to 50 women living in extreme poverty in Bungoma County, Kenya.[spoiler title=’Read More’ collapse_link=’no’]
In 2015, she participated in recruiting 16 women groups and 16 youth groups from coffee growing counties in Kenya. These groups were trained on how to establish and run coffee nurseries as income generating activities. Additionally, she worked with 10 women farmers in Murang’a County where she trained them on Best Agricultural Practices and sustainable management of coffee pests. Currently, she is working with 78 women coffee farmers in Kirinyaga County. She offers technical support on sustainable coffee production and product diversification. She further extends her support to male and youth farmers as well as other stakeholders in the coffee industry. Her technical support to the farmers has enabled them experience tremendous increase in their productivity per tree with some farmers reporting up to 50 percent increase in their overall production.
In future, increasing the membership of AWIC in terms of quality and production and have a specific market abroad will be a plus.[/spoiler]

MADINA AMIN HUSSEIN

Founder of Green Peace Initiative, a local organization based in Garissa County that focuses on nature restoration and agriculture in ASAL regions.
Green Peace began two major projects due to setbacks in the regions majorly MitiCash and Mahindi mashinani.
MitiCash is an incentive fruit tree growing project in arid areas where the initiative distributes seedlings of mango trees and rewards the successful farmers as well encouraging them to sell. The aim to eradicate hunger, poverty and minimize the excessive consumption of red meat among pastoralists.[spoiler title=’Read More’ collapse_link=’no’]
Mahindi mashinani encourages locals to cultivate maize so that during the drought season, the stalks can be fed to the animals after they have harvested the maize.
The initiative has trained 23 women in agriculture to pass knowledge to the rest besides pastoralism. Green Peace vision is to work towards reaching all arid regions across Kenya.[/spoiler]