The EK Demonstration Farm will function as the educational/experimentation farm from which all other farms/farmers on mfangano will learn from.  It will experiment with not only crops, but infrastructure such as irrigation systems, composting techniques, and pest control techniques.  It will also serve as a hands-on educational center where people can come to learn and get ideas from.  

                                                                                                                                                            

EK Farmer's Cooperative is a collective of farmers who are dedicated to reviving the agricultural movement as it pertains to the entire health and wellbeing of the island.

              

                  

Led by Matthew Tierney, Ekialo Kiona will soon pilot aquaponics as part of OHR's sustainable design and agriculture programming. Through extensive community involvement and a team of interdisciplinary students at UCB, UCSF, University of Minnesota, Oxford, and a handful of other universities, our team has created a bio-dynamic farming method which seeks to provide stable, nutritious, and profitable food for the residents of Mfangano.

               

Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponic agriculture (growing in a soil-less medium).  This system has the potential to create lasting economic, social, and ecological stability for Mfangano residents. Through enhanced, closed-loop farming, aquaponics allows for a more secure and nutritious diet, alleviates ecological pressure from slash and burn agriculture and overfishing in Lake Victoria, and allows fishermen to stay at home with their families.