UN Division for Sustainable Development

Case Study Detail Record

Organization type:	Major Groups

Submitting organization:	Kenya National Federation of Agricultural Producers (KENFAP)

Affiliation:	- Farmers

Name of Focal Point:	Mercy Karanja

Initiative Title:	Farmer to Farmer Extension System in Kenya

Internet links:	http://www.ifsaglo2005.org/ http://www.knefap.org http://www.fao.org/sard/en/init/1574/2225/1846/index.html

Scope:

Status:	Ongoing

Timeframe:	Start: End:

Lead Institution:	Kenya National Federation of Agricultural Producers (KENFAP)

Stakeholders/Partners:	FAO Ministry of Agriculture, Kenya

Relevent issues:	- Food security and sustainable agriculture - Enhancing agricultural productivity through adequate and sustainable inputs - Community-based and indigenous approaches to food production - Diversifying agricultural production systems - Capacity building - Integrating rural development strategies into broader development strategies - Empowerment of local rural communities - Natural resources management - Poverty reduction strategies and policies - Reducing rural poverty - Empowering the poor, including women and indigenous people - Equitable access to education and other basic services - Poverty eradication - Sustainable development for Africa - Education

Objectives/Challenges:

Kenya is primarily an agricultural country in which agriculture and agriculture-related activities are responsible for up to half of the economic activity in the country (IEA, 2001). The role of the Kenya’s agricultural sector is to contribute to food security for the population estimated to be about 30 million (National Human Population and Housing Census, 1999). The sector has not performed well due to many factors such as low productivity, unfavorable policies and unfavourable weather conditions. Due to the population pressure, land, which is the single most important natural resource for agriculture, has continuously been subdivided. This has led to some parts of arid and semi-arid lands initially unsuitable for crop farming having been converted into agricultural use while sections of natural forests initially protected, have been cultivated in order to provide food and livelihood support to the 67% of the Kenyans living in the rural areas. The number of people estimated to be living in poverty was 17 million (56% of the population by the year 2001). Three quarters of the poor people live in rural areas, according to welfare monitoring surveys (Ministry of Planning and National Development, 2003).

The Kenyan agriculture is mainly rain-fed with 20% of land being medium to high potential and producing most of the crops while 75% is arid and semiarid lands (ASALS), receiving little and unreliable rainfall and is best suited for extensive livestock production. The ASAL areas are the main source of red meat and are occupied by pastoralists and agro-pastoralists. Notwithstanding the fact that small-scale farmers contribute 80% of the agricultural GDP, many of these farms do not provide farmers with sufficient means to live on; 50% of Kenya’s rural farming households are involved in off-farm income–earning activities (Tegemeo Institute, 1998). These together with the low contribution to agricultural production by the arid interior lowlands (80% of land area) constitute the key issues in Kenyan agriculture today.

In the 1970s and 80s, extension and research systems in Kenya were a “public good” provided by the government with the help of developing agencies. The 1990’s brought the introduction of the World Bank’s Structural Adjustment program, which saw a rolling back of the state and prescribed a liberalization of the economy, services which were hitherto provided free were supposed to be taken up by the private sector. However, there was no private sector which was ready and willing to invest in agriculture and therefore there was a total collapse of the extension system in the country.

This is a serious challenge in a country where most of the small-holder farmers are not agronomists and most are not even literate. The Kenya National federation of Agriculture Producers (KENFAP) was confronted by the need for extension services by the members who had nowhere else to turn and demanded that the organization offered this service without which most farmers were not able to make a living out of farming. KENFAP did not however have the resources to engage the extension staff and they therefore adopted a “farmer-to-farmer extension” approach and the FAO farmer schools concept.

Lessons Learned:

Improved technical skills of farmers and their ability to cope with uncertainty. Increased food productivity and market opportunities as farmers were able to come together at the local level not only to do the learning but to be able to influence the market and do collective bargaining, increasing their chances of earning a good price in the market. Others were able to penetrate the export market as they were able to achieve the right quantity to allow for collection by the export companies. These are normally the very small holders who would not otherwise have been able to penetrate the market on their own.

Small farmers were mobilized and organized, local capacity was enhanced. The relationships between farmers were strengthened resulting in group cohesion. Farmer confidence was increased through experimentation.

Policy Options:

The FAO Regional office provided information on the farmer field schools method and sought resources
• An overhaul took place of the structure of KENFAP and the attitude of its staff in order to implement this grassroots, participatory model of extension
• The process empowered farmers to understand their place in the development chain and made them able to demand service from third parties
• There is high level of sustainability as the farmers are active actors being trainers themselves and teaching each other through learning by doing
• This is a grassroots process that involved all the poor regardless of their land size and asset level
• The extension/ service providers have been able to appreciate the farmers as real partners other than receivers of knowledge.

Summary:

A tripartite agreement was then formed with the FAO, Ministry of Agriculture and KENFAP. The initial pilot was in three districts in Kenya: Muranga, Nyeri and Kiambu. There were 10 field schools in every district and 5 were run by government extension workers and 5 by farmers (members of KENFAP). The training was conducted by FAO trainers already trained through the farmerfield schools programme. This meant having farmers trained with ministry technical staff and this was quite a new experience for the two groups.

Farmers formed schools where they discussed problems with other members and set priorities for their training. The work of the lead farmer was to get the resource people to assist in the identified areas of learning. Seed money was needed to pay for the costs of this resource person as the training took place on farmers’ fields. The farmers, as well as receiving training which they themselves set the agenda for, are able to teach others a practice which has worked for them in their own fields. These field schools are still on-going as they needed very little support and members are able to contribute to sustain the process. Over time KENFAP has got more resources and have expanded and continue to provide seed money for new innovations which require an external input.

This process has proved very successful and some of the schools have become fully fledged commodity groups, for example the Maragua Banana Producers who started this way and were able to focus on the development of Banana production for consumption and market. Other groups in Nyeri were able to penetrate the export market with fresh produce and in Kiambu they have concentrated on leafy vegetables for the local supermarkets and other outlets.

This model of working has now been adopted in the Kenya Agricultural Productivity Program and farmers are now in the position to choose their extension providers from an alley of service providers. The project has now been promoted in 20 districts where the Kenya Productivity Program is in place and KENFAP is taking the lead.