Smart farms

: 06 April 2022; Hits: 2816

Liming improves yields of depleted Western Kenya soils

liming in western kenya farms

The chronically acidic soils of Western Kenya has meant endless woes to the farmers in the area, but a new method of applying lime to the tired soils is changing fortunes and rekindling hope to thousands of farmers who had abandoned farming. In 2008, Isaac Ochieng Okwangi from Nyangera, Siaya District harvested just two 90kg bags of maize from his one and a half acre maize plot. On the same piece of land today, 29-year-old Ochieng gets around 16 bags a season, in two seasons a year. His yields from other crops like beans have also risen.

Ochieng attributes the eight-fold rise to applying lime on his farm, which lowers soil acidity to levels that sustain subsistence crops, according to David Mbakaya a soil scientist with the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) in Kakamega.

According to a recent report by AGRA-Alliance, Kenya has over half a million hectares of acidic soils in its maize growing areas. In Western Kenya, around 57,670 hectares of soil are acidic. The use of nitrogenous fertilizers like DAP and high rainfalls that penetrate deep into the ground have exacerbated the problems of soil acidity.

Year in, year out subsistence farming without rotating crops has also increased soil acidity, giving the land “no rest.” As a result, maize yields in Western Kenya are on average estimated at less than 1 tonnes per hectare, yet neighboring regions get 5 to 6 tonnes a hectare.

In 2009, acting on advice from KARI Kakamega, Ochieng applied on his one and a half acres 10 bags of agricultural lime. He was one of 50 farmers who got the lime for free when Alliance for Green Revolution (AGRA) sponsored KARI led trials that provided the lime, costing Sh270 a bag of 50kgs from the Homalime Factory in Koru, Kisume.

After Ochieng spread it on his maize plot, he cultivated it into the soil, planted his maize and waited for the results. “The maize was vibrant and one maize plant would have two or more cobs,” he said.

Although he bypassed the Sh2700 cost of adding the lime, the returns would have made the investment worthwhile even if he had paid. In both 2010 maize seasons he harvested 16 bags each season, fetching a market price of Sh5000 a bag. He also sold 4 sacks of beans each earning Sh8000.

The Sh2700 in the right input had shifted his annual earnings from what would have been Sh20,000 to Sh112,000. Ochieng even sold some of his maize to other farmers who had poor harvests after declining to apply lime on their land. With the proceeds he was able to build a new house for his family of two children.

His turnaround has since convinced other local farmers to dig lime in. “We had no hunger,” said 33-year-old Evelyn Achieng Ochieng, another of the 50 members who applied lime in 2009. Before, she used to get 3 or at most 4 bags of maize from her half an acre plot. Now she gets 10. The change saw Achieng also try it on her cassava plantation, where the cassava became vibrant and leaves wouldn’t sag. “It’s like they got rid of some cassava disease,” she said.

A near similar observation was made by Stanley Chiveti, a nursery tree farmer who says applying lime matures his tree seedlings faster. Initially, they would reach certain heights at 6 months. Now they get there in 4 months and without nursery tree pests.

According to Mbakaya, soils they have sampled in Western Kenya have PH levels of 4.3 to 5.5. Yet subsistence staple crops thrive at a PH of 5.5 to 6. KARI supervises farmers applying lime to ensure they don’t put in too much and make the soil to alkaline. Alkaline soils only work well for tea farming.

After one full application of lime, KARI advises farmers to reapply the lime again after 3 years. “Over applying lime leads to toxicity,” said Mbakaya.

When applying lime on soil, he also advises farmers to have gloves and face masks as it irritates the skins and chokes. In the soil, lime replenishes Magnesium and Calcium minerals.

Lime is also being added to fish ponds by fish farmers like Francis Sakula from Isanjiro Village in Northern Kakamega. In his 50ft by 50ft pond with over 1000 tilapia he applies the lime to stop the green algae (spirogyra) from forming and floating on his fish pond denying his fish oxygen. It also kills frog tad poles ,which prey on fish fingerlings and encourages growth of the water plants that fish feed on.

In addition, frogs don’t lay eggs in limed water and snakes don’t invade a pond with lime. Its brownish color when applied to the ponds also obstructs the view of birds that prey on fish. Sakula applies around 5kg to 10kg of lime from the pond’s inlet.

Farmers like Ochieng and Achieng who got the lime for free will now have to buy and reapply it after 3 years. In Western Kenya there are 5 Agro-Dealers stocking the agricultural lime, but AGRA is currently paying for transport in an effort to keep the lime affordable.

The research into the impact of applying lime was done by KARI Kakamega and Moi University Eldoret after they got a grant from AGRA’s Soil Health Programme.

For Isaac Ochieng, the study has transformed his life. In early 2008, he left Nairobi’s Mathare area with just Sh7000, having lost all his possessions to arson in the post election violence. Today, he has no regrets as he gazes at his lush vibrant maize crops and the vegetables he is growing, and has emerged as an outspoken advocate for the benefits of lime for the farmers in his region.

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: 06 April 2022; Hits: 2822

Smallholder farmers use trees to fertilize soils & extra income

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Sallholder farmers in Kenya are embracing planting trees that do not compete with crops for nutrients a venture that is paying off with some of the trees even fertilizing the soils while offering the farmers extra income.

The practice known as agroforestry has been championed by government and other agricultural institutions as having returned impressive results in the other parts of the world like India and Vietnam where it has been practiced.

In Kenya it is being hailed as a practice that is key in shielding farmers from the vagaries of weather that have become common place.

John Chepsoi a farmer in Nakuru has successfully embraced agroforestry which is bringing numerous benefits to him, his livestock, crops, soil, and the environment at large. They are Nitrogen Fixing Trees (NFTs). It began when he planted a few trees on a section of the plot four years back. He observed that the soil in the area with the trees usually looked fertile and alive. The crops were healthier and yielded more compared to the bare land. This led him to introduce more trees on his plot to increase fertility and increase production. He has harvested potatoes and his beans are blossoming. He is expecting a good harvest this season as he says all systems are functioning well under this agroforestry method of farming.

He uses the trees as fodder for livestock and also as fire wood. When cut, he says that they are able to coppice again, hence avoiding the urge to invade the forest. Some of these trees include: grevillea, luceana, calliandra, acacia and sesbania sesban. The Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) provides useful information to field workers and farmers on different useful trees that can be planted in farmland.

One example of the acacia tree, which has long been combined with traditional farming in Africa, is theFaidherbia albida, also known as “Mgunga” in Swahili. It possesses the unique ability to produce much needed nitrogen for the soil and plants. With its phenology, Faidherbia goes dormant and sheds its nitrogen-rich leaves during the early rainy season, when crops are being planted, and resumes leaf growth in the dry season.

All natural

Through an agroforestry system, John farms without the application of synthetic fertilizers (DAP/CAN) commonly used by many farmers, but lets nature perform this duty through NFTs. His style of farming has been a productive and conservative one, and he sees these as a long-term strategy and is happy he followed the path of agroforestry. “The goodness of agroforest trees is that they are there to offer their free services all year round,” he adds.

He is planning to establish an agroforestry nursery in the future where he can raise and sell seedlings to other farmers, in the effort of spreading the benefits of agroforestry in building sustainable future and earning income.

John explains that during the dry season, from December to March, some trees are able to shed their leaves, while others remain green, which he uses to feed his livestock. He further says that producing staple food crops like maize, sorghum and millet under these agroforestry conditions dramatically increases their drought resilience in dry years because of the positive soil moisture and better microclimate.

The fallen leaves, weeds and crop residues don’t go to waste. They are heaped to naturally decompose and later used to fertilize the farm. John is keen not to throw away any of this, as he calls it a treasure. After they are heaped, they usually attract many beneficial micro organisms, which feed on them. As we turn a heap together, there were hundreds of earthworms at work. Earthworms are described as “ecosystem engineers.” Charles Darwin referred them as “Earth ploughs.”

They contribute to enriching and improving soil for plants, animals and even humans. Earthworms create tunnels in the soil by burrowing, which aerates the soil to allow air, water and nutrients to reach deep within the soil. Earthworms eat the soil which has organic matter. After the organic matter is digested, the earthworms release waste from their bodies, called castings, which contain many nutrients for the crops. As an important addition to their other roles, trees not only act as natural fertilizers, but as niche for these hardworking earthworms and microbial life.

Through constant pruning and cutting firewood, he is able to increase the organic matter (leaves) in the soil, which act as mulch, keeping it moist and well aerated, and increases the activity and population of microbial life in the soil. The leaves also act as humus, a very important feature in building soil fertility.

Other benefits

John also acknowledges that trees are able to suppress weeds, reducing the time and energy needed for weeding, and promoting “easy to work” soil. Other trees, like luecena, attract bees during flowering. While collecting nectar, they help in pollination and repelling harmful insects. Trees here are able to provide a microclimate. The place is cool, and you could feel the breeze. John says he is able to work without feeling the hot sun, and the same applies to the crops. “These trees protect my crops from both dry season and heavy rains,” John says. And adds that, “it conserves soils and reduces run off in my small plot.”

With growing concerns about how small holder farmers can continue to feed themselves in their small farms without destroying local ecosystems agroforestry is the best thing to happen to sustainable farming. I applaud small scale farmers like John and hope that other small scale farmers will follow suit and plant trees on their farms for a better and more productive future.

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: 05 April 2022; Hits: 3081

Dairy farmers raise incomes five fold through fodder conservation

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Dairy farmers across the country are counting an increase of milk yield by up to five fold during dry days and a concomitant swell in income, thanks to a training programme that shows them how to manage fodder and improve on livestock management.

Dubbed Smallholder Dairy Commercialization Programme the project is helping rebuild profitable small dairy enterprises that can be sustained throughout the year eventually supporting the full revival of the milk and dairy subsector in the programme area. The programme operates in six districts of the Rift Valley, Western and Nyanza Provinces of western and southern Kenya.

Josephat Tabuka belongs to a dairy farmers’ group in Bungoma district in Western Province. He and his wife have been small-scale dairy farmers since 1986 and have six children. The couple through the training has seen a leap in their milk productivity and incomes. In the dry season milk production used to fall to less than 2 litres a day per cow. Now yields have risen to about 15 litres a day and are sustained through the drought period. Milk quality has also improved and Tabuka can command prices as high as Sh30 per litre during the dry season when milk is scarce.

“We are using the extra income to pay for school fees and to invest back into farm improvements,” says Tabuka. “It’s clear to me now that milk can be more lucrative than maize, and I want to focus uniquely on dairy.”

Petronella Karani and her husband live near Ndalu in Bungoma, and head a household of 27, including their four children and other dependents such as eight orphaned nephews and nieces. She gave up nursing because her salary could not support such a large family.

She began farming sheep on her 5-acre plot, then switched to dairy, but struggled to make an adequate income with local breeds of cattle. The training she has received from the programme has ignited her keen entrepreneurial spirit and allowed her to begin building a profitable dairy enterprise. She now has three cows, and sells on the male calves. She is one of the few farmers in her locality selling milk through the dry season when she can make Sh30 a litre for milk and Sh45 for fermented milk. The increased income means she can support her large household comfortably, and the family has recently hired a farm labourer.

Solomon Wamoja, aged 65, also lives in Ndalu, and became a dairy farmer after retiring. He now owns three cows and two calves, and milk yields have become so good that he employs three labourers. All he needs is a loan to carry on investing in better stock and build a business that he hopes will bring his son back from working in the city to farming.

“The key to the success of this programme,” says Moses Kembe, Programme Manager, “lies in coordinating efforts to generate change. Knowledge is fundamental, but so are linkages, grouping together and good management. Above all we want to help farmers think commercially and understand their potential to participate in their own development.”

The programme begins by expanding and strengthening farmers’ organizations. Groups are encouraged to assess their needs and identify viable goals according to the first step of the programme: building dairy enterprises and raising milk yields. The training helps them achieve those goals. Farmers learn about the importance of feed, breed and zero-grazing, as well as animal health and disease awareness, business training and marketing.

Wamoja has used part of his land to create demonstration pastures for animal feed. The first crop has now been harvested and stored, and he has invested in a chaff-cutter to mill crop residues for feed so that nothing goes to waste. He is building a zero-grazing unit to shelter the animals. Exposure to heat can affect the quality of the milk.

“I’ve set aside over a quarter of an acre to grow boma rhodes grass for fodder, he says. “Even though the seed is expensive it has paid back in terms of milk yields. Three others from my group have already adopted the method used in the demonstration plot. It takes time for others to adapt. When they come here they see clearly the progress that has been made, and admire what has been achieved.”

Tabuka has also learned from the programme the importance of producing and conserving feed for the dry season to ensure that milk production is maintained at a steady rate throughout the year. One of his greatest problems is providing good quality feed to his cows during the dry season. This is why he has dug a silage pit to store and preserve animal feed. He chops crop residues with a home-made guillotine, which he then mixes with molasses in the pit to catalyse the fermentation process. He is still learning how to achieve a balanced ration for his animals and is intent on cultivating crops whose residue makes good, nutritious feed for his cows.

Wamoja is slowly upgrading his animals. He recognizes that good quality animals are the key to increased milk production, and expects to have them in about one or two years’ time. Tabuka and his group are beginning to register their animals. “I plan to focus on one breed – the Asha breed,” he says. “Dairy farming is not just about milk. If animals are being sold on, a registered animal of good breed can fetch a high price.”

As farmers’ groups progress towards more commercial milk production the importance of building a culture of record-keeping becomes clear. They learn how to monitor milk production on a weekly and monthly basis, in order to keep track of increments in yields and prices. Keeping records helps identify problems that arise, and helps farmers understand how they are progressing towards their goals as they see the impact of the changes they have adopted.

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