Farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing bears fruit as food production increases

Sitting under a canopy of mango trees, Michael Wachira describes what it takes to have a thriving farm in a dry area like Solai, Nakuru County. On one end of his farm are diverse varieties of maize plants, and ripening sorghum on the other. Solai is an arid and semi-arid area; and that means not every crop variety can do well there.

Michael, a former plumber, has now become a model farmer in Solai, with his farm standing out as a beacon of new farming technologies such as pest and drought-tolerant crops.   

“We usually experience prolonged dry weather, and for a long time, farmers in this area have hardly got assistance from extension officers at the county Agriculture Department. I thus decided to mobilise farmers within Solai and Subukia to be attending agricultural expos, where we share critical knowledge in agriculture and pass it on to others,” says Michael.   

Subsistence farmer

Eight years ago, Michael was a subsistence farmer – he only grew crops that would sustain his household.

But when his daughters joined university, he knew he had to look for extra income as that meant paying more tuition fees. That’s when he started improving the crops he was growing at his one-acre farm and another piece of land he had leased. 

“I planted the DK77 variety – a hybrid maize seed that has high tolerance to drought and Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease - on a six-acre land and that season I harvested 240 bags of maize. I was able to pay my children’s school fees, bought a car and even set up an agrovet. Our lives changed there and then,” he explains 

He adds: “This variety is resistant to pests, withstands harsh weather, and has the potential to produce double cobs. It also saved me the cost of pesticides.” 

 Capitalising on his mobilisation skills and the link with different seed companies, Michael is able to conduct trials of different crops that are suited to the harsh climatic conditions in Solai and share this knowledge with local farmers. This has led to the formation of Umoja Farmers Agri-hub, a networking platform where farmers share knowledge on best farming practices and even advise one another on where to sell their surplus produce.

“There are now about 12,000 registered smallholder farmers in our network across the county. We also have about 30 lead farmers who handle between 300 to 500 farmers.”

For Michael, establishing trust with the farmers is important, and this means that his team has to first conduct seed trials with the farmers. 

“We usually go with the seeds and other farm inputs to a farmer’s land, which is provided free of charge, and section out an area for trials. If the farmer is pleased with our varieties, they then upscale, and this means they can now get food and sell the surplus to make money.”

In 2023, Michael was selected to participate in a farming exchange programme in Rome, Italy, an experience that changed his perspective on food production. 

“In Europe, food production is planned such that the agricultural land is separate from settlements, unlike here where we mix settlements with farming, a move that fragments land and compromises food production.”

Our next stop is Ndungiri in Subukia, which neighbours Solai, where we meet Phylis Mwangi, a member of the Umoja Farmers Agri-hub.

She is part of the farmer’s brigade in the area who are keen on building each other with agricultural knowledge. They also link each other to markets. 

Phylis is a trained Early- Childhood Education teacher but has since switched to full-time farming.  

“I am big on aggregation because farmers need a link with markets to reduce post-harvest losses and poor storage. A farmer is able to get value for their produce, and I have seen some expand their agricultural land because they are certain they will sell surplus crops,” 

In Subukia, dry weather and pests affect crop production. The region also experiences frost, which causes significant damage to crops, reducing yield and quality. 

“On top of the extreme cold that burns crops, we farm under dry conditions, and so we have to be particular with the seeds we plant here - they have to be drought and pest-resistant.”  

According to agricultural experts, adoption of farming technologies adapted to climate change and pests could improve farmers’ incomes and boost food security at a time when resources like land are becoming smaller and weather patterns erratic

“It is possible to produce more food with less resources. We do this through climate-smart crops and technologies that boost food production,” says Dr Paul Chege , a senior programmes officer at ISAAA Africentre, a non-profit organisation that shares knowledge on agricultural biotechnology and biosafety.

The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) says the reluctance of countries to adopt biotechnology could be hampering the continent’s potential to feed the world owing to its large arable land. Dr Canisius Kanangire, the foundation’s executive director, says African countries must support their farmers to produce enough food to feed her population and even sell the rest to the world instead of being a net importer of food.

“Africa will not be able to feed its own population if we don't adopt changes required to improve productivity, resistance of our crops and the way we manage produce,” he explains

One of the technologies being promoted by AATF is biotechnology, which, according to Dr Kanangire, will enable African countries to deal with the climate shocks affecting food production. 

“We will continue to spend our hard-earned currency on importing food from those who have adopted technology.”

Farmers like Michael and Phylis believe that by harnessing the power of sharing information with other farmers, they are able to bridge the gap left by extension officers. 

[email protected]