As the growing global population and changing diets are driving up the demand for food, Kenya Smart Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP) has scaled up efforts to address the challenges of food security by empowering small-scale farmers in villages, within Kericho County.
Climate Smart Agriculture as an integrated approach towards managing landscapes, cropland, livestock, forests, and fisheries has assisted farmers to increase production through enhanced resilience of crops by reducing vulnerability to drought, pests, diseases, and other climate-related risks and shocks.
In Kiptere Village, Soin-Sigowet Sub-County, Climate Smart Agriculture Project has empowered farmers to venture into finger millet production which is easily cultivated within three months’ time.
According to the Kapchepinyal finger millet women group secretary Ann Chepchirchir, the Kenya climate-smart agriculture financed their project by injecting Sh15 million to produce the seeded cereal which belongs to the grass family, Poaceae.
The women’s group comprising 17 members started off as a merry-go-round self-help group before getting registered officially as a community group.
“We then drafted a proposal to Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture and they responded by not only funding our project but also empowering us on smart agricultural practices.
Chepchirchir revealed that KCSAP provided the group with varieties of finger millet seedlings including Kakamega (KAKS3) and Kakamega1 (KAKS1) which have yielded bountifully for the last two years uplifting the lives of the group members.
“This finger millet growing has really helped us especially now that the economy is high, we mix them with maize and cook for our families. We also sell 2 kilograms of finger millet at Sh400 and from the earnings we are able to fend for our families,” added Chepchirchir.
Additionally, the KCSAP has empowered the group by training the members on mechanization to enhance finger millet production.
“They provided us with power tiller machines for tilling and harrowing our land and the production has improved,” said Chepchirchir.
According to Kenya Climate Smart Agricultural County Project Co-Ordinator Odoyo J. Bittar, the finger millet farming activity by the group is environment conducive since they use unharmful fertilizers in planting such as Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) and Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN) in top dressing. Planting in lines has also helped in preventing soil erosion. The farmers plant three acres of land in a season.
“Every twice a year we plant three acres of land and after three months we harvest 20 bags which earns us Sh320,000. The sales profit is usually shared equally within the group as each member has equal contribution” added Chepchirchir.
Meanwhile, in Sigongo village, a livestock farmers’ group christened the Matunda indigenous hatchery project has invested in four mega incubators with each having a holding capacity of 5000 eggs, a Sh26 million project funded by the KCSAP.
During an interview with Kenya News Agency, the group’s chair Daniel Malel intimated that every week the group has at least 20,000 chicks for sale which earns the group approximately S1.8 million.
“We are proud of this project because it is the source of our income and our members are earning a good livelihood, KCSAP has also provided us with a fridge where we store over 50 vaccines for chicks,” said Malel.
Malel was excited to mention that they looked forward to expanding their enterprise in the future and also increasing membership from 58 to at least 100 members.
KCSAP has also recently funded and empowered farmers in Cheplanget village to engage in Banana Seedling Hardening Nursery Project which they expect to reap benefits that will enable them to fend for their families once they start selling the seedlings.
By Marion Chepkorir and Monica Irua
