John lives in Gatanga in Muranga County. The area is home to Ndakaini Dam that supplies Nairobi residents with water. Catchment destruction and perennial droughts had drastically reduced water levels of the dam, and also affected farming practices across the county.

John attended a training organized by SACDEP on sustainable ecologiy land management (SELM) practices, which included surface run off harvesting. This training was conducted prior to the rains. Through this training, John learnt how to construct a water pan and with the help of SACDEP his project was made a reality. This pan allowed John to harvest water when the rains set. With climate change biting hard into farming lands, dry spells deny farmers the opportunity for year-round cultivation. However, John, equipped with the new facility (pan), was bale to continue with his farming activities. Irrigating his land with drip technique enabled a sustainable water use, conservation, and reduced soil erosion.

John' s farm productivity increased because of all-year cultivation, water effiecieny and sustainable farming practices. His household income increased drastically improving his living standards.

With keen eyes of the villagers watching the transformation, John became a self-appointed good will SELM ambassador. 33 farmers within his village, having witnessed the economic progress, joined the programme through John's influence.

These farmers formed a group that underwent training by he SACDEP project officers. With the simple hands-on training they received, these farmers replicated John's technology in their farms. With more farmers signing up, the microcatchment area began to see reduced erosion and land degradation. Riperian enchroachment decreased not to mention increased milk and food supply leading to more nutrition, food variety and increased household income.