| Audience |
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| Extension Agents, Community Groups and NGOs |
| Introduction |
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Turkana County is a vast arid and semi-arid region situated in Northern Kenya, covering an area of about 77,000 km2. The County is characterized by warm and hot climate, with temperatures of between 20ºC and 41ºC with a mean of 30.5ºC. The County receives an annual rainfall of between 52 mm and 480 mm, with a mean of 200 mm. The rainfall pattern and distribution is erratic and unreliable. Majority of the Turkana people who inhabit the County are traditionally nomadic pastoralists, who depend on livestock for their livelihood. However, there is a rapid change in lifestyle of the Turkana people, from nomadic to semi-permanent settlement, where only part of the family moves in search of pasture and water for livestock. Most of those left behind are women and children, and the women have the responsibility of providing for family members under their care.
To diversify livelihood options as well as avoid over dependency on food aid, the community within Loima Sub-County, Turkana County formed Namoruputh Bio-Aloe Self-help Organization. The group was initially engaged in small scale trade, but is now involved in Aloe domestication and utilization. Aloes are among important natural resources found in Turkana County. Due to their succulent nature, Aloes are well adapted to arid and semi-arid conditions of the County. Aloes have shallow rooting system that enables them to grow well on rocky gravel sites. The plant prefers soils that are fertile, high in nitrogen content of 0.4 - 0.5%, with a pH of 4.5 to 7.0. The main species found in Turkana County is Aloe turkanensis, whose sap is yellow in colour. The sap contains anthraquinones that have several beneficial medicinal values such as laxatives. Traditionally, Turkana people use Aloe turkanensis sap to treat wounds and eye diseases. In addition, extract from boiled Aloe roots is a detoxifier. The roots are also used to flavour beer, as medicine, and for skin care.
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| Objectives |
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- To improve livelihood of the group members through aloe-based enterprises
- To conserve and ensure sustainable provision of raw material for aloe-based enterprises through domestication
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| Approach |
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Practical Action, an NGO in in the County, built capacity of Namoruputh Bio-Aloe Self-help Organization on livelihood improvement options through sustainable utilization of natural resources such as Aloes. At formation the Group had 32 members of which 28 were women and 4 were men.
Aloe based enterprise was preferred by the group as the plant grows naturally in the area and the community was familiar with the species. Practical Action trained the Group on Aloe. turkanensis product diversification and value addition. Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) was also involved in capacity building of the Group through training on Aloe domestication, extraction of sap and production of Aloe bitter gum. In addition, the Kenya Industrial Research Development Institute (KIRDI) provided: equipment and materials for extracting Aloe gel as well as mixing of ingredients; chemicals; thermometers; and branded packaging materials. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) later trained the Group on further value addition of aloe-based products.
The Group was trained on how to make six (6) products namely; hand and body lotion; liquid hand wash, hair shampoo, bar soap, body cream and bleaching detergent. The processes of making the various products involves use of chemicals, some of which are corrosive, therefore necessitating the Group to be sensitized on occupational and safety measures during preparation of the products.
Procedure and ingredients for making Aloe hand and body lotion
Ingredients for making 100 litres of lotion
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Ingredients
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Quantity
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Oil Phase (A)
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1. Stearic acid
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2.5 kg
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2. Glyceryl Monostearate (G.M.S)
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1 kg
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3.C.S.A
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1 kg
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4. Mineral oil
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3 kg
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Water Phase (B)
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5. Water
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77 litres
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6. Glycerine
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5 kg
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7. Triethanolamine (T.E.A)
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1 kg
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8. Carbomer
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0.5 kg
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9. Herbal extract (Aloe sap)
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5-10 drops
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Additive Phase (C)
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10. Preservative
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1 drop
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11. Colour
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At manufactures discretion
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12. Perfume
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At manufactures discretion
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Procedures for making 100 litres of lotion
- Measure ingredients for oil phase (A) and put in a container
- Measure ingredients for water phase (B) and put in another container
- Heat each phase separately but concurrently to 70oC measuring the temperature with a thermometer
- Remove both containers from the heat and immediately add Phase A into Phase B
- Stir the mixture thoroughly until solution becomes smooth
- Allow the solution to cool to 35 - 40oC
- Add ingredients for additive Phase (C) to the solution and stir thoroughly
- Allow the lotion to cool to room temperature
- Pack the lotion in appropriate packaging material
 |  | | Aloe turkanensis plantation in Namoruputh | Harvesting aloe from a rocky area |  |  | | Group members being trained on making liquid soap | Aloe products made by the group |
Domestication of Aloe
Aloe species existence is threatened due to unsustainable harvesting and poaching. To ensure sustainable supply of Aloe extract, the community is involved in Aloe domestication. The group started by planting Aloe on a 2 ha plot, which was situated away from the village to avoid unauthorized harvesting by community. Aloe turkanensis suckers were harvested from the wild and planted in the plot at a spacing of 4 m x 4 m. With a planned harvesting regime, aloe can be sustainably utilized throughout the year.
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| Impact |
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- Improved livelihood from sale of aloe products
- Improved social cohesion and welfare
- Improved environment conditions through soil erosion control
- Increased vegetation cover
- Enhanced conservation of indigenous aloe
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| Sustainability |
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- Conversion of Aloe sap to bitter gum ensures that the community does not have to harvest aloes every time they need aloe extract
- The practice has been disseminated to other groups in Turkana, neighbouring counties and even Uganda
- Domestication of aloes integrates well with pastoralism as the species is not palatable to livestock
- Aloe maintenance is mainly through weeding which is not labour intensive
- The practice entails use of simple procedures and production protocols which are easy to adopt
- The Group has expanded land under aloe cultivation
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| Innovation |
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- The Group has organized road shows in towns within Turkana and neighbouring counties to market their products
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| Constraints |
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- Poaching of planted Aloe
- Death of some aloe plants during the drought periods
- Short shelf-life of the aloe based products
- Limited market base, forcing the Group to constantly operate on a small scale
- Poor road network which limits access to markets
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| Lessons Learnt |
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- Natural resources can improve livelihood if used sustainably
- Value addition of natural resources increases income
- Effective marketing skills are necessary to promote penetration of new markets
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| Conclusion |
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Aloe enterprise is a successful nature based initiative that can be practiced in arid and semi-arid areas. The practice plays an important role in; conservation of indigenous Aloe turkanensis through domestication, and improving community livelihoods.
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| Acknowledgement |
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The authors are grateful to the Namoruputh Bio-Aloe Self-help Organization for providing information used in compilation of this publication. Mr. Epodo is acknowledged for interpreting from Turkana language to English during data collection.
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| Compiled By |
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| Joyce Okumu, Abdalla Kisiwa and Jesse Owino |
Copyright &© by the contributing authors. All material on KEFRI Knowledge Base is the property of Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI).