Agriculture & Environment - Introduction

 

Irene Masike

General Coordinator of Agriculture

 

David Simiyu

Coordinator for Agriculture Marketing

 

 

Daniel Simiyu

Coordinator for Agricutlure

 

The larger Bungoma district in Western province has high agricultural production potential. Nevertheless, this community suffers from vicious poverty with a poverty index that is over 56%. Acute food insecurity is prevalent. Maize is the staple food crop and yet consumption surpasses production by more than 40%. This is attributed to several constraints such as non-availability of quality seeds and inappropriate production technologies especially by small-holder farmers. High input prices particularly of inorganic fertilisers have led to low use and hence the low productivity of maize per unit area of land. For example the maize yield potential is over 50 x 90kg bags per hectare, however most small holder farmers produce less than 12 x 90kg bags per hectare. Alternative farm enterprises have not been explored to stabilise food and income sources.

Low food production is not only a consequence of ignorance and resources it also has to do with the use of time and labour consuming technologies in food production, preservation and storage. More time and energy is spent producing and preparing food and poor technologies put a lot of demand on time.

Malnutrition, especially among pregnant women, children under 5 yrs and the aged is prevalent. Their immune system is also low thereby increasing their susceptibility to diseases and hastened death. Malnutrition and HIV/AIDS have in turn affected food production through loss of labour force and diversion of meagre resources into medical bills. Low food production has led to more poverty and the vicious cycle continues.

Training Objectives

• To enable participants understand the vision, mission and goals of crop production and conservation.
• To enable the leaders understand their roles in the programme

• To prepare the leaders and equip them with knowledge to pass on to the Fellowship members.

Vision:

Attaining food self sufficiency at household level and surplus for sale.

Mission:

Promoting increased food production through improved land productivity.

Overall Goal:

Strengthened livelihood security for farmers especially small-holder farmers in parts of the target districts. [A livelihood comprises of the capabilities assets (both material and social) and the activities required to provide a means of living.]

Programme Objectives

• Increase crop production through diversification and improved farm management practices.
• Promote simple technologies for production, preparation and preservation.
• Establish sustainable crop production structures in each of the local units to take charge of agricultural transformation processes.
• To advocate for environmental conservation.
• Establish strong linkages and networks with other stakeholders.
• Promote research and innovations into new farming technologies e.g. e-farming.

Activities

• Formation of farmers committees in local units.
• Capacity building of farmer committees through training.
• Train farmers on crop diversification and improved farm management.
• Train farmers on harvesting and storage practices.
• Establish a unit to research into and produce simple technological devices and promote increased food production.
• Set up a demonstration unit in each local unit including one at IcFEM Mission.
• Link farmers to relevant partners.
• Monitor and evaluate progress on a regular basis.

Roles and Responsibilities of Assistant Coordinators and Facilitators

• Promote increased crop production.
• Raise the role of model farming.
• Initiate local research areas and link them to Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI).
• Organise village field days.
• Promote kitchen gardens for every household.
• Encourage formation of farmer study groups.
• Promote organic farming.
• Promote e-farming.
• Monitor progress of activities.

Food insecurity contributes to the deepening poverty in an area that has low crop and animal production. The low production of animals is largely as a result of poor quality of livestock i.e. the lack of the right genotype, ignorance leading to poor farming practices, poor marketing facilities for animal production and some extended traditions and beliefs. These are some of the key areas the project will address in order to increase animal production.

Traditionally, the animals kept are cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, rabbits and pigs. Most households keep cattle and poultry and others keep goats and sheep. Commonly the animals are kept for special occasions, sacrifices and as a moving bank however, this project will lay emphasis on animal production for nutritional purposes and income. Since the demand for animal products is on the increase, there is need to source the best animals to provide the required commodities. Dairy cow keeping is becoming less and less affordable for a small-holder farmer due to its high demand in capital, labour and space for growing fodder. The Mission aims at promoting dairy cows, poultry, bee keeping, pigs, rabbits, sheep, goats, etc but initially has started by focusing on dairy goats.

Vision:

Sustainable production of animal products for domestic consumption and surplus for sale.

Mission:

Promoting food sufficiency and income sustainability.

Objectives:

• To establish a continuous protein supply through animal production.
• To build the capacity of the farmers in the Local Transformation Units for animal production.
• To create awareness on the dairy goat project.
• To improve nutritional status.
• To promote organic farming practices.
• To improve household income.
• To establish a breeding centre.

Activities:

• Establish a structure.
• Identify interested farmers for the dairy goat project.
• Train farmers on the dairy goat project.
• Promote dairy goat production.
• Hold field demonstrations / exhibition / shows.
• Promote dairy goat products.
• Upgrade dairy goats by cross-breeding with the indigenous goats.
• Promote pure dairy goats.

The Dairy Goat project has three phases:

• Give a dairy goat project.
• Keeping bucks available for cross breeding (mating) with farmers' goats.
• Keeping goats for breeding at a Mission centre.

Efforts are concentrated on a dairy goat project, for encouraging, teaching and involving farmers to own dairy goat keeping as a valuable alternative to dairy cow keeping.

Dairy Goats & Food Security

Milk is very important protein/complete supply of food nutrients but the problem that besets the farmers is that there is too little available. Farmers have depended on cow's milk mainly and little is known about goat's milk. The cow feeding space is now reducing such that there is no free grazing space, nor enough farms to grow fodder for cows and this particularly affects poor farmers and hence the there is no universal milk availability.

Goat's milk generally has not been common to the local people. Goats are viewed as animals for sacrifice rather than for meat and milk as food. A lot of effort is required to convince the public about accepting goat's products for food. Keeping dairy goats may be the answer to achieve the provision of meat and milk to everyone including the small-holder farmer and practised farmers. The reasons vary from labour input, space and suitability of goats for meat and milk products as it is easier to keep a goat than cow (whether a local or exotic cow), goats are not as demanding in fodder as larger ruminants, the space occupied is much less, the goats' meat and milk are more important than cows as goats milk is easier to drink and richer in food value than cows as goat's milk contains calcium, phosphorous and chlorine. If goat's milk was to be sold, one litre of goat milk sells at 80 KSh whereas cow's milk sells at 30 KSh but because cow's milk is mainly sold then the goat's milk can be left for h ome consumption. Goat's meat is very juicy and tasty and is regularly eaten by many people.

As more and more people are learning about the benefits of goat's milk, cheese and yoghurt there is a growing market. Goat products are of high nutritional content therefore they are very good for patients including those suffering from HIV/AIDS and they are also recommended for growing children and the elders of our society. Goats' milk also has a lower allergic effect on consumers than cow's milk which is why children are reared on goats' milk.

A project of ‘give a dairy goat' by the Mission to some of its members is one of the method to be used. To start with some five small-holder farmers per Local Transformation Unit will be identified for the project. The format will be based on their ability to keep, breed and carry out proper and hygienic handling of milking procedures in goats.

Results

• By the end of every three years period, the status of the group that have owned a goat will be checked and compared to what they were before receiving a dairy goat. This will represent about 16% per Fellowship.
• Increased knowledge and value on use of dairy goat products.
• Make sure that weaned goats reach the next group.
• Continuing the workshops and seminars by coordinators on introducing the method on dairy goat rearing, milking, processing and use.

Sustainability of the project and added value

The project as indicated above will enable every household to have a good dairy goat whose history is known. Every farmer/household should contribute in kind/cash towards the establishment. This will make them be committed and own the project. This removes the syndrome of dependence on aid. For the sustainability of the project, each household will willingly give a dairy goat to a neighbour under same conditions. Since goats are easily managed and multiply very quickly this ‘give a goat' project will ensure acquisition of a goat per household in shortest time possible. It will encourage a spirit of co-operation which will spread and transform communities for the better, it will alleviate poverty and ensure food security and offer economic empowerment to people through the sale of goat products.

In the regions covered by the IcFEM Local Transformation Units agriculture is the major economic activity but the marketing of these products is a great challenge. This is attributed to lack of marketing infrastructure within these regions. As the marketing structure is not in place farmers do not have a substantial market demand in terms of quantity, quality for the supply of their products and as such do not know what to produce, when to produce it and how to produce it i.e. poor marketing information. Besides this there are poor marketing channels and physical structures which have contributed to poor pricing of products and hence producers greatly demoralised as they reap negative returns.

Vision:

Well-developed marketing systems in the community.

Mission:

To promote the establishment of efficient marketing channels for marketing farmers produce.

Objectives

• To establish sustainable marketing structures in the Local Transformation Units.
• To capacity building the major players in the marketing system, which aims at bettering the business as it and will make everybody a good entrepreneur and marketer too thereby reducing the risk of producer exploitation.
• To establish marketing information data bank centres.
• To create awareness on existing marketing policies.
• Advocacy for good marketing policies in the community.
• To bring on board all stakeholders involved in the marketing sector.

Activities

• Community mobilisation and sensitisation in the established Local Transformation Units.
• Development of the marketing vision.
• Formation and strengthening of marketing committees and marketing.
• Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with relevant services and ministries (within IcFEM) and other stakeholders.

Expected Results

The agricultural marketing committees and cooperatives will sustainably influence the interests of small-holder farmers making them aware of their roles, potentials and best strategies. This will enable them form structures (management levels) at local and divisional levels to oversee the overall management of the marketing institution .The institutional framework will be established as a cooperative entity and accordingly charged with responsibilities of selling collectively to more and better markets thus offering more buyer competition, exploring contract selling, purchasing inputs, market produce and establishing its own smallholder level Agro-based cottage industries to produce market with value added products.

The project in collaboration with other actors will provide direct training in business skills, technical know-how and ‘training of trainer' courses to about 500 ToTs who will in turn offer training extension and advisory services to over 15,000 SHFs on the same basis using farmer to farmer approach . Skills are expected to be replicated by over 5,000 households thus increasing skills and knowledge to over 40% of small-holders. It is expected that this will enhance the trade in surplus produce.

It is expected that these committees will be accessible to capital for inputs so as to maintain stocks of commodities to sell at high market value. Hence they will work alongside the FeSaCS which constitutes the small credit facility to offer credit for purposes of arranging purchase of farm inputs, organizing marketing and markets for produce, regulating commodity prices thus building on emerging structures to link farmers to new market networks

Farms are shrinking while the population and the demand for tree products are increasing having a negative effect on environment. The available trees have become too few to supply rural people with essential tree products and friendly environment. There is need for the community to be involved in agro-forestry practices with the aim of working towards food security and income generation.

Vision:

Increased agro-forestry products for sustainable farming.

Mission:

To promote agro-forestry farming practices.

Goal:

To develop model farms in each of the Local Transformation Units to promote agro-forestry and the sustainable use of tree resources to meet local needs, protect and restore tree species for the benefit of the present and future generations.

Objectives:

• Increased household income through agro-forestry.
• Setting up bulking site for improved fruit trees.
• Environmental conservation.
• Promotion of indigenous trees and fruits.
• Building capacity of farmers in agro-forestry practices.
• Promoting agro forestry practices in the communities.

Activities

• Survey to ascertain the trees already planted in Local Transformation Units.
• Formation of committees in the Local Transformation Units.
• Identification and selection of role models.
• Training of assistant coordinators and facilitators.
• Seed collection, selection and bulking.
• Establishment of linkages and networking.
• Supervision, monitoring and evaluation.

Target Groups

Small-scale farmers (with less than 5 acres) - to establish seedlings for fruit trees for nutrition and income purposes.

Large Scale Farmers (with more than five acres) - to establish seedlings for fuel wood, for construction, as environmental stewards, woodlots and other tree products.

Youth - to liaise with the youth programme to engage with agro-forestry in tree nursery establishment/bulking of seedlings as an income generating activity.

Species of Trees to be Promoted

• Fruit trees / Indigenous (medicinal plants)
• Avocado
• Loquats
• Mango
• Pawpaw
• Guavas
• White Supporter
• Mellybery
• Chisemwa
• Acacia albida
• Busabwibwi
• Markhomia lutea
• Grevillia
• Luecaena
• Neem
• Callandra
• Kei Apple
• Sesbania
• Cordia abysinica
• Mpeli
• Kumtere
• Kumsikhu
• Casuarina

Outcome

• Improved and diversified food supply through agro-forestry.
• Increased use of agro-forestry knowledge and skills.
• Improved farm tree cover for fuel wood and other wood products.
• Sustainable healthy ecosystem providing multiple community benefits.
• Strengthening relationship in terms of linkages, collaborations and partnerships.

This part of the programme focuses on the benefits of caring for the environment in terms of landscaping, the appreciation of the beauty of flowers, plants and trees not only around the home, but at school, and in the workplace, etc. It encourages the love of God's creation and its value to our daily lives.

Why give animals, bees or fruit trees? - By supplying livestock or trees, training, and veterinary/agricultural support it is possible to break the cycle of poverty as well as providing nutrition. It can be an unusual birthday or Christmas gift replacing soaps, socks or handkerchiefs. It will certainly change a family's life for the better. read more

We are all aware of global warming. We can do our best to be energy efficient and limit our energy usage but to offset carbon generation and recapture the carbon and generate oxygen IcFEM plants trees. A large tree consumes approximately 1 tonne of carbon dioxide when it grows to maturity. read more

On the Mission's Dreamland site there is a farm, where animals are grazed and a variety of crops and coffee grown as a model to show agriculture and new techniques to the children of the Dreamland Education Centre (primary school) and the community in general. It is also used as a facility for the goat breeding programme, for seed bulking and plant propagation. read more

Dairy production - Aim of the Project - To promote economic dairy and milk production through the provision of improved dairy stock, to provide food and employment to the ever-increasing poor rural people. read more Poultry production - The Proposition - It is intended to set up a facility where chickens are hatched and raised to the point of sale. The project will handle approximately 1000 birds per week. Two parts are needed for the project -- a hatchery and an abattoir. read more

Bee keeping - Honey provides a good source of income to improve family nutrition and education. The hives are made to a local design and need relatively little maintenance. The new beekeepers are also taught traditional skills to capture wild hives and bring them home to improve their own hives. The bees gather nectar and pollen from the surrounding flowers and bee keeping helps fruit tree pollination and yield and honey production helps provide income especially now there is a world shortage of honey due to bee keeping problems in Europe and the USA.

The project involves:

• Obtaining skills in making beehives.
• Obtaining wood for beehives and protective clothing.
• Encouraging the setting up of beehive manufacturing facilities.
• Exploring markets for honey both in Kenya and Europe (organic honey).
• Training project leaders in bee keeping and honey handling e.g. hygiene, bottling, and marketing.
• Training members in each Local Transformation Unit in bee keeping and honey harvesting.

Return to top

Tree nursery project - A project is proposed which reverses deforestation, provides wood for structural and domestic uses, produces tree fruits, and absorbs carbon dioxide with a sub-arm producing honey. There will also be economic impact from sale of items produced to help pay school fees, medical bills, etc.