UN Division for Sustainable Development

Case Study Detail Record

Organization type:	Government

Name of Ministry/Agency:	Ministry of Agriculture

Country:	Kenya

Name of Focal Point:	Tom Apina

Initiative Title:	Conservation agriculture for smallholder farmers in dryland areas, Laikipia District, Kenya

Internet links:	http://www.act.co.ke http://www.sustainet.org http://www.fao.org/ag/ca/ http://www.fao.org/sard/en/init/2224/index.html

Scope:	National: - Kenya

Status:	Completed

Timeframe:	Start: 2004 End: 2006

Lead Institution:	African Conservation Tillage Network/Sustainet

Stakeholders/Partners:	German Trust Fund Ministry of Agriculture (Kenya) FAO

Relevent issues:	- Enhancing agricultural productivity through adequate and sustainable inputs - Agrarian reform - Water management in agriculture - Land conservation and rehabilitation programmes - Soil fertility improvement practices - Africa - Others - Kenya

Objectives/Challenges:

- Maintain and improve crop yields
- Enhance resilience against drought and other hazards
- Protect and stimulate the biological function of the soil
- Shift weed management from mechanical means (shallow weeding with hoe) to agronomic means (soil cover, cover crops)

Lessons Learned:

- An essential element of conservation agriculture (CA) is planning crop sequences over several seasons, to minimize the build-up of pests or disease and to optimize plant nutrient use by synergy between different crop types and by alternating shallow-rooting crops with deep-rooting ones.
- Hyacinth bean (Dolichos lab-lab) as a source of soil cover was popular among small scale farmers in the district. This was due to the fact that apart from the property of fixing nitrogen in the soil, its seeds are considered a delicacy by the Kikuyu and Meru tribes living there.
- Jab planters can spread fertilizer and seeds simultaneously, considerably reducing the workload: a single person can now perform the work previously for three persons.
- Herbicides may have to be applied in the first few years, making knowledge of specific locations where weeds grow highly important.

The following problems have not been resolved yet:

- For farmers reluctant to use herbicide, to what extent is mechanical shallow weeding acceptable within the CA approach needs further research.
- Cover crop management, especially hyacinth bean, is a challenge for most farmers, as it can easily outgrow the main crop such as maize and suffocate it if not planted at the correct time.
- Farmers need access to inputs and resources so that they can test and adopt the technology. In particular, CA equipments are oftentimes unavailable at local equipment outlets. Institutional support and outreach are needed, for example, increased private sector involvement in field days and project activities is therefore recommended for follow-up phases.
- Dissemination of information on CA for awareness creation among small scale farmers needs to be reinforced for greater impact.

Policy Options:

- Promote information exchange and dissemination by organizing farmer field days and farmers to farmers exchange visits. Theses have proven highly attractive to small scale farmers and other stakeholders alike, including, amongst others, equipment manufacturers and hirers, chemical companies, seed companies, and fertilizer companies.
- Backstop farmer field schools with local and international subject matter specialists to give training on key, essential subjects, including weed and cover crop management, gender and group dynamics, equipment access and utilization, efficient use of chemical and fertilizer, etc.
- For a succinct yet authoritative overview of Policy options concerning Conservation Agriculture in Africa, see the SARD and Conservation Agriculture Policy Brief on the FAO/SARD initiative website http://www.fao.org/sard/en/init/2980/2378/index.html.

Summary:

Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a farming practice based on integrated management of soil, water and agricultural resources. It has three essential features: 1) no-tillage, 2) maintenance of a cover of (live or dead) vegetal material on the soil surface, inhibiting the germination of many weed seeds, and 3) crop rotation/association.

The Laikipia District is situated in the rain shadow of Mt. Kenya, featuring a predominantly semi arid climate, and an unevenly distributed, volatile and inadequate rainfall pattern. The climatic influence of the mountain landmass produces a steep-ecological gradient on the plateau, giving rise to several altitude-related agro-ecological zones ranging from sub-humid to semi-arid. Over the years, the yield of most crops there has declined by 40% due to several factors, among which continued tillage was identified as one principal cause. Other negative side-effects of frequent tillage operations include destruction of soil micro organisms, and carbon release to the atmosphere, putting the ozone layer at the danger of depletion.

The project trained village based facilitators on farmer field school (FFS) approaches and CA principles. This led to the establishment of two FFSs in the district with a total membership of 55 individuals, with 50-50 gender balance.

In the past, intensive cultivation resulted in development of hard pan/plough pans, which hindered plant root growth and water infiltration into the soil. Subsequent introduction of specific crop rotation/association under CA promoted biological sub-soiling, hence saved the need for mechanical means, while suppressing crop pests and diseases at the same time. With the additional benefits from in situ water harvesting technologies as part of the CA approach, smallholder farmers have been able to increase their yield by 30-40%. On top of that, weed management, which used to pose one of the greatest challenges to smallholder farmers with its high cost and intensive labor use, was considerably simplified by the use of cover crops. Some species, such as the leguminous, have the added value of improving soil fertility. Last but not least, the FFSs have serve the additional role of strengthening group cohesion and understanding among smallholder farmers.