By ChicaMod Editor
Whenever we discover something exciting, we love to share with you; our new found love is, Shamba Shape Up.
The Shamba Shape Up is reality television in its element, like no other seen in East Africa. Think Extreme Makeover, only more practical in its approach. Part of the magic of the show is that the faces you see are those of Wanjiku, the common mwananchi(citizen). Quite likely your next door neighbour.
Shamba is Swahili for garden. Shamba Shape Up is part agro-business, part make-over and all of everything in between. Its target audience is East Africa’s large rural and peri-urban population. After all, only most of East Africa is to be found in the rural areas rather than in cities and urban areas.
In one episode, we see the Shamba Shape Up team visiting a young man’s farm. Together they review his methods of bee keeping, water harvesting and financial planning.
In another episode, a women’s group receives a new lease of life for the tomatoes in their greenhouse. They learn more about spraying, pests, storage, solar power and cattle.
And so the team travels across the plains and valleys, from countryside to countryside. What they uncover and teach to the farmers, they also uncover and teach to the television audience.
Inevitably, by watching these highly resourceful episodes of Shamba Shape Up, one gleans quite a bit of knowledge. For example, one learns how to harvest palm oil, how to manage disease, how to apply for a loan, how to breed poultry, how to do virtually anything related to farming.
One must admit, Shamba Shape Up is one brilliant concept. Check them out here and below
Video 2: The team help shape up Vincent's shamba – building a chicken house and water harvesting unit, as well as giving him financial advice and help with his beekeeping.
