Geographic areas of focus: Kenya, – Laikipia and Machakos Counties

Project goal: The project overall goal is to improve food and income security by building the  resilience of smallholder farmers in Machakos and Laikipia counties of Kenya through enhancing the adoption of conservation agriculture practices.

Overall objective:

The project intends to address the challenges that affect smallholder agricultural production through research for more options for cover crops, creating awareness and developing CA communication products for practitioners.

Specific Objectives

  1. To evaluate and identify cover crop options for conservation agriculture;
  2. To increase awareness of conservation agriculture among smallholder farmers and extension staff in Machakos and Laikipia counties through wide scale demonstration;
  3. To improve access to information and communication products on conservation agriculture for practitioners including policy makers.
  4. To improve smallholder farmers’ access to input and output markets

Main Activities:

  • Conduct baseline to document status of agricultural production in the counties
  • Establishment of 30 Mother demonstration Field trials
  • Establishment of 200 baby demonstration plots
  • Training of Farmer Trainers in CA
  • Training of extension workers in CA
  • Develop searchable database of CA stakeholders for each county
  • Develop and disseminate policy briefs for CA knowledge
  • Develop agreements and mechanisms for farmers to access inputs on credit
  • Establish a voucher system to facilitate affordable and physical access to inputs
  • Build farmers capacity on entrepreneurship and cost effectiveness
  • Link farmers to buyers for produce markets

Target group: The project targets to reach 20,000 smallholder farmers with CA knowledge

Expected outputs and outcomes: The project expects to

  1. Increase yields of target crops through greater use of CA, improved seeds and fertilizers,
  2. Increase CA knowledge including integrated soil fertility management practices for 20,000 smallholder farmers,
  3. Increase cover crop options for CA
  4. Increase availability of communication products on CA to practitioners including policy makers; and
  5. Improve access to markets for maize and grain legumes.