🌱 Growing Our Own Solutions: How the Ocean Sole Mamaz Are Turning Soil Into Security

Back in December, we sat down with the women in our Ocean Sole Mamaz group to talk about food. What we learned was heartbreaking. Over 70% of them said they were very worried about feeding their families, with the rest simply “worried.” They described a system they had created out of necessity — pooling money so that once a week, one household could afford a bag of Unga (maize meal). That’s what most of their children were living on.

We knew we had to act.

Harvest and Happiness: Our Ocean Sole Mamaz — with honorary Ocean Mama Omar at the center — proudly celebrate a successful mchicha harvest.

Planting Hope in Kilifi

Food security is one of the biggest challenges in Kilifi County — especially for women-led households. That’s why we launched the Ocean Sole Mamaz Community Garden at the end of 2024. It’s more than a plot of land — it’s a pilot project in regenerative agriculture and community resilience.

We started with a blue maize and pigeon pea combo. By January, we’d added mchicha (local spinach), chillies, okra, aubergines, and even fruit trees — grafted mangoes, citrus, cashews, coconuts, papaya… All rooted in permaculture principles like water harvesting, swales, chop-and-drop mulching, and zero tilling. The results? Nutrient-dense food, thriving soil, and a sense of purpose.

Victory in the Garden: Gladys high-fives her fellow Mamaz after another successful harvest — one of many wins for food security and independence.

Harvesting Results

On March 25th, our Mamaz harvested enough mchicha to feed six families. A week later — seven. Then eleven. Last week? Twelve families fed.

But this garden is feeding more than mouths — it’s fueling livelihoods. Since February, the Mamaz have sold over 800kg of compost, made entirely on-site using organic waste, chicken droppings, and inputs from our animals. With expert training from Liam at Grow with the Flow, they’ve learned how to produce, bag, and sell a soil product that’s already in demand.

Turning Waste into Wealth: Watch the Mamaz transform organic waste into nutrient-rich compost — over 800kg sold so far.

Proud and Plentiful: Sally, Faith, and Delilah show off the mchicha harvest — enough to feed 12 families this week.

Why It Matters

This garden is more than a garden. It’s a model. A case study in how community-led food security can work. By restoring degraded soils with low-cost, regenerative methods, we’re not only putting food on plates — we’re helping communities reclaim their independence, create income, and protect local ecosystems in the process.

Every bell pepper, every handful of mchicha, every shilling earned from a bag of compost — it’s a step toward a sustainable livelihood and a future where no one goes hungry.

This Earth Week, help us keep the soil turning.Your donation supports tools, seeds, training, and the expansion of gardens like this across Kilifi.

CLICK 2 SUPPORT OUR GARDEN <3

Together, we’re growing more than vegetables — we’re growing solutions.