In Kalungu Village, Kalungu Sub-location in Kibwezi location of Makueni County where water shortage and harsh weather make farming difficult, Margaret Kimote has embraced simple, sustainable solutions to transform her life. For years, she depended on the Kibwezi market for vegetables, making two trips every week and spending nearly KSh 400 per week on transport—a heavy burden, especially with her frail leg.

Today, Margaret no longer needs to buy vegetables. Her flourishing kitchen garden provides her family with fresh, healthy produce at home. With the money she saved from market trips and vegetable purchases, she invested in buying chicken layers from which she collects about two crates of eggs, which she sells for extra income.

Margaret has also ventured into azolla farming, using azolla as a cost-effective and nutritious alternative feed for her chickens—reducing expenses while keeping her flock productive.

She proudly acknowledges that much of this knowledge came through her Village Savings and Lending Association (VSLA) group, where she learned about innovative practices like making briquettes, biochar and energy-saving stove—technologies she now uses in her home to save costs and conserve the environment. Margaret’s story is proof that small, smart innovations can create big changes in people’s lives.