This archive report was first published on 16 November 2019.
As the country grapples with food safety concerns and rising prices, several hotels have opted to produce their own food, including vegetables, eggs, meat, and milk.
Ololo Lodge in Ongata Rongai, Kajiado County, is one such facility that has taken the initiative to grow its own food. The lodge, which was established in 2013, started farming three years ago, motivated by the need to produce safe food free of harmful agents like pesticides and to cut costs.
Felister Orangi, an assistant farm manager at the lodge, notes that they farm organically, using imported loam soil and constructed sheds to preserve moisture and keep monkeys away. The farm grows a variety of vegetables, including broccoli, coriander, sage, red cabbage, and zucchini, under shade nets for all their kitchen needs.
The lodge also keeps hundreds of White cornish breed birds for meat and Isa Brown layers, which are supplied with worm juice instead of water. The worm juice is produced by feeding earthworms on kitchen or farm waste, which they break down to create a liquid rich in nutrients but lacking oxygen.
At the poultry section, the birds forage in an open area as they are kept organically. According to Felister, the chicken's welfare comes first, and they do not use normal vaccines but natural medicines bought from certified organic medicine producers or their own-produced drugs.
The farm supplies eggs to the hotel and consumers through a marketing agency, with a tray going for Sh450 and each bird selling at Sh650. Layla Liebetrue, the Project Lead for Route to Food Initiative, says ecological farming is the way to go, as it produces safer food and addresses the country's food security concerns.
