CONSERVATION

AGRICULTURE IN LAIKIPIA

KENYA

BY ANNE N KIMAITA

COUNTY DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTURE

LAIKIPIA KENYA

18th to 21st March 2014

LUSAKA--ZAMBIA

INTRODUCTION

Location

Laikipia County is one of the forty seven counties in

Kenya. It is located on the western side of Mt. Kenya

in the Rift Valley bordering central and eastern

regions. The county headquarters are in Nanyuki

town a major tourist destination due to its proximity

to Mt. Kenya and the many wild life conservancies.

INTRODUCTION

Demographics

The county has three administrative units namely Laikipia

East, Laikipia North and Laikipia West sub counties.

Laikipia East covers an area of 2310.9 km² and a

population of about 90,994 persons as per 2009 census. It

has a poverty index of 46% and a literacy level of 78%.

There are 10,675 farms with 14,466 farm families.

INTRODUCTION

Livelihoods

Locaton of Laikipia on the leeward side of Mt. Kenya and the

Aberdare Ranges makes it mainly an ASAL region. The main

livelihoods are pastoralist in Laikipia North and part of

Laikipia West, mixed farming in part of Laikipia West and

marginal mixed farming in parts of Laikipia East and parts of

Laikipia West. A few commercial horticultural farms using

irrigation are spread in the county along the river line.

INTRODUCTION

Climate

Laikipia East falls in the cool highlands semi arid

zone of Kenya with a mean annual rainfall range of

400mm to 700mm of rainfall being on the leeward

side of Mt. Kenya. This is the area where CA was

first extended to small and large scale farmers

CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE

• Conservation Agriculture in Laikipia is concentrated in Laikipia

East Sub County which was a pilot district and is practiced by both

large scale and small scale farmers. It has been promoted mainly by

the Ministry of Agriculture through

FAO funded project CA-SARD I - 2004 to 2007

FAO funded through KARI under CA-SARD II –2007 to 2010

EU funded through ACT under ABACO Project - 2011 to 2014

• Other stakeholders in extension of conservation agriculture are

CETRAD and Olpajeta conservancy.

CA EXTENSION • CA technology passed to farmers through Farmer field

schools, Crop demonstrations, Field days, staff and

farmers training, staff and farmers’ tours as well as

farmer to farmer interaction.

• Two on-farm research sites have been set up in Laikipia

East Sub County by the ABACO project from which

farmers have been able to learn CA.

• Organized tours to the privately owned large scale

Lengetia CA farm by farmers inside and outside

Laikipia County has always been of great impact to

those interested in CA especially from the sharing with

the farm owner.

CA ADOPTION

a) On small scale

• Over 30 farmer groups have been trained on CA with over 400

members practicing. Its estimated about 1000 small scale farmers put

3000 to 5000 acres annually under minimum tillage. This in return

saves them more than Kshs7.5 to 12.5 million (Us$ 135,000 to

225,000) on land preparation only and a reduction in use of diesel by 8-

15 litres per acre. Individual small scale farmers have been able to

increase crop yields per acre i.e maize yields increased from 1-5 bags to

10-18 bags and total production by increasing area under crop using the

same family labour where land was available.

CA ADOPTION Case study

Njoroge of Mutirithia rainfall below 400mm pa – Cultivates

a two acre plot alone using CA and do casual jobs, from

which he is able to feed his family and takes care of his wife

who is a cancer patient. He was able to increase his yields

from total crop failure to 8 to 15 bags per acre with no use

of commercial fertilizers. The surplus harvest is processed

and sold to the neighbours who are mainly pastoralists.

Crop farmers have deserted the area due to constant crop

failures and wildlife menace.

CA ADOPTION

Case study

Maize plot prepared and maize seeds germinating

1st crop of maize harvested and plot seeded with pulses Maize crop shallow weeded

Njoroge’s farm 2013

CA ADOPTION

Small scale

Mr Kamande of Muramati and his wife all above the

age of 60 yrs (rainfall about 500mm pa) has increases

the area under cultivation from the usual one acre to

three acres in three years after adopting CA and no

longer require extra labour. One acre used to give

him about 3bags of Maize in a year with no harvest in

severe drought. After adopting CA the maize yields

rose to an average of 15 bags per acre and is able to

grow assorted pulses as cover crops during the short

rains season

CA ADOPTION Case study – small scale farmer Mr. Kamande s Farm 2013fm 2013

Mr. Kamande in the long rains

maize plot

Dolichos cover crop in maize

Chick pea crop in maize Short rains crop of maize

Local bean crop in maize

CA ADOPTION

Case study

Nancy Muthoni a single mother of Mazingira FFS

age above 55yrs had to visit the doctor due to

problems related to increased weight after adopting

CA. She resolved to use minimal herbicibes and more

shallow weeding. Her land is all under CA.

CA ADOPTION

Case study – small scale farmer

Susan Wangeci aged above 65yrs of Mazingira FFS has a

husband struggling with the effects of stroke which rendered

him unable to work or make decisions. Susan with a farm

about 4.5 acres was very quick to give the FFS one acre demo

plot in 2007. By then she was farming about half an acre.

Three years down the line after learning CA she was un will to

extended the group use of her land when she realized an acre

of her land could produce 20 bags per acre. Currently she is

farming about three acres.

CA ADOPTION

Susan and ABACO project office in her maize plot

Susan shallow weeding desmodium cover crop in maize Agricultural staff preparing for a

farmers field day at Susan’s farm

Case study – small scale farmer

CA ADOPTION

b)Case study large scale farmer

Mr. Sessions of Lengetia Farm, a large scale farmer with about 4500 acres

under CA has been able to change his fortune in farming from being a net

borrower to a net depositor in the banks. He has also been able to buy top

of the range modern equipments which has made CA farming easier and

cheaper. He has contributed greatly to adoption of CA by other large scale

farmers and small scale farmers through holding field days on his farm,

receiving visiting persons or teams interested in CA and personally talking

to them. He mainly plants wheat and sometimes contracted barley. He says

in convention farming he used to harvest 2 to 8 bags per acre and always in

debts. With CA he has achieved 10 to 18 bags per acre at a reduced

fertilizer use of 18-25kgs per acre and a much lower labour cost per acre.

CA ADOPTION

Case study - Lengatia Farm,

Mr. sessions with a direct seeder used

to promote CA with neighbouring

small scale farmers.

Good harvests prompted the

farmer to install grain stores in the

farm

Challenges

• Too much rains during planting made it difficult to plant with draft animals and the Jab planters to water logging discouraging adoption of CA tools and equipments.

• Few service providers with CA equipments. Only two have a set of basic CA equipments for draft animals. Tractor drawn CA equipments with large scale farmers are not available to small scale farmers either due to costs or not on hire.

• Identification, Adoption, Utilization and commercialization of cover crops. Current adopted cover crops have poor germination percentage in most cases leading to no soil cover.

Challenges

• Weeds are a challenge in situation of too much rain

and water logging common in the clay soils of

laikipia

• Dry plant material cover – In Laikipia farmers

practice mixed farming. Hence competition between

the soil cover, livestock feed and termite action.

• Experience in use of herbicides is limiting as they

have not been in common use. Consequently,

selection, timing of application and rates have been a

problem. Some weeds are resistant to herbicides.

Challenges

• Wildlife crop damage mainly by elephants. Mice and squirrels

common where there is heavy mulch contributing to low

germination of Maize which is the main crop

Nyumba ca demo plot at an earlier stage of growth

Elephants waste on the ca demo site.

Crops in the ca demo plot destroyed by elephants

Crops in nyumba ffs ca demo plot destroyed by elephants in 2012

CONCLUSION

CA technology offers our farmers an opportunity to

mitigate adverse weather, increase yields, Reduce

production, reduce capital investment, save time for

other activities while mitigating climate change, as

well as conserving soil and water

Critical is to impact farmers with the technology who

in turn have to be patient with the learning process.

Its therefore important that there is concerted effort

thro stakeholder participation in the extension of CA

technology

THANK YOU