Organic Solid Waste: A Possible Key to Urban Food Security in Kenyan Slums

A Sack Garden in Kibera Slum

Solid waste management in many urban areas in Kenya has been chaotic. The effort by many urban authorities charged with the responsibility of managing these wastes has not been such successful. Huge dumps of solid wastes are being seen by the roadside, riversides, lakesides, and even adjacent to residential houses. The negligent disposal of these waste has posed numerous environmental and health problem that affect not only the human but also other plants and animals. These solid wastes have resulted in blocked sewers, offer breeding grounds for pest and parasites such as rats and mosquitoes, air pollution when carelessly burned or bad odor emitted, and water pollution when washed into rivers and lakes.

As illustrated by the NEMA 2015 report, most of the generated wastes remain uncollected due to poor waste collection and disposal systems. Apart from Nairobi that has made efforts to collect about 80% of waste generated daily, other major towns still lag behind. As Mombasa only collects about 65%, Eldoret collects only 55% of the waste generated daily.  Kisumu collects about 20% of waste total waste it generates daily. On a daily basis hundreds of tones are being generated in Kenyan towns. As Nairobi generates 2,400 tons of waste daily, Nakuru, Mombasa, Eldoret, and Kisumu, generates 400 tones, 2,200 tones, 600 tones, and 400 tons respectively per day.

According to NEMA 2015 report, more than 50% of solid wastes generated in Nairobi and about 63% of solid wastes generated in Kisumu are organic. In Eldoret 49% of solid wastes generated are foods. As 60% of solid wastes generated in Mombasa are organic, 51% of solid wastes generated in Nakuru are food. This is a clear indication that more than half of the wastes generated in these towns are organic and when effectively utilized, it can solve other numerous health, economic and social problems. These urban organic wastes when effectively composted into manure, they can be used solve the food insecurity prevalent in urban slums. The unemployment, low levels of income, high dependence ratio, high food prices, illness, and big household sizes have immensely contributed to high food insecurity.  As the slum residents eat barely for survival, the quality of food is least of their concern. This has forced the slums residents to resort to reducing the number of meals, scavenging, eating street foods, and reducing food variety and quality as a coping strategy.

Slums such Mathare and Kibera in Nairobi, Bangladesh and Owino Uhuru in Mombasa, Bondeni and Rhoda in Nakuru, Langas and Huruma in Eldoret, and Manyatta and Obunga in Kisumu can turn around organic solid waste into gold when properly composed and used for urban farming. As the move will help reduce organic waste, that constitutes more that 50% of the total solid waste generated in these urban towns, cleaner and greener environment shall be realized. In the same course, urban farming will help solve other problems such as offering employment, subsidized the high food costs, and improved food quality. When urban farming is well practiced by using well-decomposed manure, cheaper and fresh food can be availed to slum dwellers. The urban farming is currently being practiced in sacks and open spaces. In Kibera, the residents have used sack gardens to grow fresh kale, spinach, tomatoes, onions, vegetables, and arrowroot.

Sample of Unsegregated Organic Waste

Even though urban farming is being practiced in these slums, it is still at a minute scale.

What is it that has been holding back the use of organic solid water for agriculture? Health concerns and poor segregation of solid wastes at the source are the key challenges facing the adoption of organic solid water for agriculture. Foods from urban farming have been feared for contamination as some are grown in pitiable places such as along the sewers. In some cases, urban farmers have been accused of using sewers to grow crops. The soils in these slums may also be contaminated and these contaminants may pose a great health risk when consumed by the residents. In these slums, there is no waste segregation and this leaves everything mixed up, therefore, making it difficult to isolate organic wastes from other solid wastes.

Even though there are legitimate health concerns that need to be addressed, organic solid waste can be safely used for urban farming when adequate control measures are practiced. The coordination between environmental, health and agriculture departments is crucial for the design of effective preventive and mitigating strategies that will mitigate health risk. Urban farming requires health consideration during zoning to identify areas where certain types of farming are allowed or excluded as this will ensure that only safe crops are produced for consumption. The urban farmers require education on health and environmental risks to substantially reduce such risks. Contaminated organic waste should be avoided by encouraging widespread separation at source as this will lead to sufficient high-quality compost. To obtain good quality compost there will be a need for the co-operation among several stakeholders. Education and promotion through demonstration projects, exhibitions, workshops, information brochures, and focus meetings are also necessary. Training, extension services, and technical advice should be provided to these urban producers particularly on ecological farming practices, farm development, proper health risks management, space intensive and water saving technologies, enterprise management and marketing. 

Sample of Segregated Organic Waste

The county government should put strategies within their solid waste management strategic plans in place to composting of organic waste. Access to low-cost water inputs and essential infrastructure should also be enhanced to urban farmers. The urban farmers ought to have a strong organization for them to have channel and power to influence their needs. This can make them properly represent their interest during urban policymaking and planning at the different levels.

Conclusively, the potential marriage between solid waste reduction and urban farming will not only lead to better health through enhanced nutrition and incomes but also create a cleaner and better environment. Since the composted organic matter contributes to better urban solid waste reduction and waste management, compost-making should be ameliorated. Even though the chronic poverty within the slums has deeply intertwined the crisis, urban farming from organic manure can help offer some solutions. This is a perfect case where when one problem (organic solid waste) is properly handled, several other problems also get addressed (food insecurity, poverty, and unemployment).