b'ConclusionPatience, persistence, and a multifacetedGroups often benefit from a stronger position at approach to the management of the projectmarket and the women farmers have organised means results have proved exemplary. Womensthemselves in entrepreneurial groups - farming access to technical and financial inputs hastogether, conducting joint marketing, and increased, and raised skill levels, particularlybuying inputs collectively. This model also helps in relation to agricultural and sustainableincrease access to credits to expand farming practices, which have proved highly influentialactivities, such as the Mwihoko women group, to the womens success. The Mwihoko Womenwho have applied for a loan from the Women Group played a key role in the design throughEnterprise Fund.to the implementation of the project, showingThe commitment shown by the programme leadership skills, ample ambition and strongmanagement team of Soroptimists in Kenya commitment to ensuring future sustainabilitywho, together with the Mwihoko Women for themselves, their families, and community. Group designed the project, developed the With increased capacity and the fully-equippedtraining programme, and worked to involve the training centre, it is expected that the womenagricultural extension services, was paramount, will continue farming, using energy-savingand many attended training themselves. activities, and utilise the now improvedAll project management group members have agricultural extension services. installed the moist bed and Chepkube stoves The learning-by-doing strategy provedin their own homes and others practice the successful, shown when women in neighbouringfarming skills acquired during the project.households, replicated the art of multi-story gardening. soroptimistinternational.org 25'