More than 10,000 smallholder farmers from Uasin Gishu County are set to benefit from Regenerative Agricultural Practices, a Farmers Training Program launched by Sistema Bio working in partnership with SNV Netherlands Development Organisation.
Biogas equipment firm Sistema Bio, in partnership with SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, launched the Regenerative Agricultural Practices for Improved Livelihoods and markets (REALMS) training program in Uasin Gishu on Wednesday.
The partnership is set to improve the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices which will lead to improved soil and water quality and improve livelihoods of smallholder farmers.
The national sales manager at Sistema Adams Amenya, said the REALMS program under Sistema bio and SNV will work with smallholder farmers within the communities, and other relevant stakeholders, to create the necessary enabling environment for the application of regenerative agriculture.
Apart from Uasin Gishu County, the Sh 1.2 billion five-year programme will also target smallholder farmers in Kakamega, Bungoma, Nakuru, and Kericho counties
The company operates hubs in Kenya, Rwanda, Colombia, Uganda, Mexico, and India to provide access to innovative biodigester technology, training, and financing farmers to address the challenges of poverty, food security, and climate change.
“The biodigester technology allows farmers to efficiently convert their waste into renewable energy and biofertilizer,” said Amenya.
Amenya said they will work with the farmers to help them eliminate any unsustainable sources of fuel in their farms like firewood, charcoal, or kerosene and also chemical fertilizers by replacing them with clean cooking fuels through biogas and organic fertilizers from the cellary emitted from the biodigester.
“Through the partnership, Sistema bio is coming up with an innovative and impactful plan that will make biogas plants more accessible to small and medium dairy farmers as livestock is an important input in the smallholder commercial value chain as they provide a source of manure for crop production and biogas”, he said.
The project is expected to contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which are an urgent call for action by all countries.
“Sistema. Bio is aligned with the goals of Africa’s climate agenda and this partnership will contribute to the technology and long-term services to meet such goals, in order to eliminate hunger, and poverty and ensure good health for our farmers by utilizing the natural resources they have within the farm,” he noted
He further added that with the rapid rise in population numbers in Kenya there is a need for farmers in Kenya to adopt smart agriculture that will guarantee a sustainable increase in yields and for this reason Sistema. Bio and SNV’s program will provide critical regenerative farming education to smallholder farmers to achieve Zero hunger by 2030.
Sistema has enabled over 7,000 farmers in Kenya to efficiently convert their waste into renewable energy and biofertilizer through their technology and so far within Uasin Gishu 1,000 digesters have been installed and the project seeks to reach 10,000 smallholder farmers.
Agro-ecology and Agro-diversity Advisor, SNV Judith Libasia said biodigesters have been identified and recognized as one of the climate-smart agriculture technologies and their by-products can create environmental and health benefits, including reduced air pollution, improved household hygiene, and quality organic fertilizers.
“Several smallholder farmers apply circular and regenerative farming practices such as the application of low qualities of home-made compost/animal manure and biological pest control however farmers can acquire and operate biodigesters to collect and treat farm waste, resulting in clean biogas and rich biofertilizer,” she noted.
By Judy Too
