Taita Taveta County
In early 2023, Blue Pillar launched a six-month agricultural employment initiative in Taita Taveta County, Kenya. The goal was simple but ambitious: create real jobs, provide hands-on training, and give individuals the chance to gain both income and practical skills they could use long after the project ended.
We began with a half-acre parcel of leased land that had been prepared for planting. Working with Seed Savers Network Kenya, we secured training, seeds, tools, and guidance for the project. Thirty-five men and women from the surrounding communities were hired, many of whom had little to no prior agricultural training but were eager for the opportunity to work.
Over the course of six months, workers learned essential skills such as
- soil preparation
- water and irrigation management
- seedling production
- planting and spacing techniques
- pest control and crop maintenance
- harvesting and preservation methods
For many participants, this was their first steady income in a long time. It provided school fees for their children, food for their homes, and the peace of knowing they had meaningful work each day. Several individuals later shared that the experience helped them feel confident again — not just financially, but personally — because they were learning, contributing, and gaining momentum in their lives.
While the farm ultimately did not reach full self-sustainability — as is often the case with early-stage projects — it succeeded in its most important goals:
- It provided months of real employment,
- It strengthened agricultural knowledge,
- It built individual confidence and work ethic,
- It gave participants hands-on experience they could carry forward.
Blue Pillar believes that not every project needs to become “profitable” to be successful. Sometimes the greatest value comes from the experience itself — learning how to work, how to solve problems, how to participate in a team, and how to build skills that can be used in future opportunities.
This initiative demonstrated a powerful truth we believe deeply:
when individuals are given structure, training, and a chance to work, they rise.
Many participants later expressed interest in pursuing their own small farming projects, using the techniques they learned. Several shared that the income helped stabilize their families. And though the land wasn’t permanently purchased, the knowledge gained will remain with every individual who worked there.
This project reaffirmed Blue Pillar’s commitment to capacity building, not dependency — and it continues to influence the way we design future initiatives across Kenya.
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