While you may already be familiar with our water bunds and treecovery initiatives, these lesser-known methods have proven to be highly effective in their own right. Keep reading to learn more about the impressive impact of Fanya Juu & Fanya Chini.
The technique
Fanya Juu and Fanya Chini are rainwater harvesting techniques. Farmers dig trenches along the contours within their farmland to prevent erosion and to capture the valuable rainwater within their land.
Fanya Chini means ‘throw it downwards’ in Swahili. It prevents the rain falling outside the farm from entering the farm, inhibiting erosion of fertile soil. Fanya Juu means ‘throw it upwards’, and prevents the rain falling within the farm to flood away, increasing the water availability for the crops on the land. If you like to hear one of our champions talk about this technique, dig into this video.
Benefits
Fanya Juu & Fanya Chini also enhances soil fertility and quality, leading to higher crop yields and improved food security. In addition, the cooled soil created by these techniques can have a positive effect on the local microclimate and contribute to climate change reversal. We encourage farmers to work together and implement these techniques on each other's land, as the construction of the necessary trenches requires a high level of technical skill and labor. For optimal results, we recommend spacing multiple fanya trenches at least 15 meters apart.
Success story
The picture shows one of three 120 meter long trenches a farmer from the Nkinku village in Tanzania dug, after she learned about this regreening technique from our champion farmers. Rainwater running downhill frequently washed away her crops. But with the trenches they can withstand the rainy season and grow strong.
Want to learn more about Fanya Juu Fanya Chini? Make sure to visit our website.
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53 w
Awesome strategies!
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66 w
Looking forward to large-scale adaptation of this
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67 w
So impressive
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67 w
Nice, innovation.
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68 w
This is so innovative. Comendable job!