Sauri, Kenya

Located in western Kenya, the Sauri cluster lies in Yala Division, Siaya District, Nyanza Province. It is the first and largest site in the MVP, with 11 villages covering 132 square kilometers. Sauri’s well-watered humid and semi-humid zones support arable agriculture and hence a high population density.

Sauri’s subsistence farmers rely on maize and beans as their staple crops. Land area per household for farming is around 0.6 hectares, which is generally insufficient to support an average family. Prior to the project, farmers produced an average of 82 kg of maize per person per year, a deficit of 18 kg per child and 38 kg per adult. Malaria is prevalent year-round. When the MVP started operating in Sauri, almost 80% of the population earned less than $1 per day, and 59% of children under five exhibited stunting, a sign of chronic malnutrition.

More Highlights

•The average maize yield increased from 1.9 to 5.0 tons per hectare, and a community cereal bank was set up to store surplus crops and sell them at a good price, to the World Food Programme among others.

•Income diversification through bee-keeping and fish farms has been very successful.

•A new dairy cooperative gathers 300 members and pasteurizes over 600 liters of milk per day.

•Over 21,000 children in all schools are provided a daily meal during the school year.

•Just 4% of children under two are now underweight, down from 26% at baseline, and more than 97% of children have been immunized, up from levels below 50%.

•Nearly all pregnant women are tested for HIV and offered counseling, compared to fewer than half in 2008.

•Households’ access to improved water supplies has more than doubled, and dozens of families have been connected to the power grid.