Smallholder farmers in Meru rebuild soil through climate-smart gardens

On a smallholder farm in Meru County, a shamba that produced thin maize harvests a few years ago now grows kale, beans, and climate-smart vegetables that travel to local markets each week.

The shift came through The Lishe Grow Project — pairing affordable organic farm inputs with patient soil rebuilding. The difference shows up first in the soil itself: darker, springier, and able to hold water through the long dry months.

Across the highland slopes of Meru, the foundation works with a growing group of farmers piecing together the same kind of recovery — slow, low-cost, and locally owned.