Sustainable Agriculture in the Rift Valley, Kenya

(KENYA) The settlement of Banita lies in the Rift Valley of Kenya, about 1.5 hours from the busy town of Nakuru. The area was once a sisal plantation but was allocated to squatters and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in 2011. At that time, each household was given about five acres of land. The area is semi-arid and characterized by low rainfall, estimated at 500 mm a year, with high temperatures, low humidity, and infertile soils.

The vegetation cover is very low, and made up of sisal, acacia shrubs, and cactus. The people who live in the area are from diverse ethnic groups that coexist and work together in farmer groups. However, because of past ethnic clashes caused by land disputes, there is sporadic violence. Maize is the main food crop grown here, but there are other crops that can do well including beans, cassava, sorghum, pigeon peas, and millet.

World Renew Kenya partner Anglican Development Services-Central Rift (ADS-Central Rift) have been working in the area for about two-and-a-half years. World Renew funds sustainable agriculture programs that provide food security for the most vulnerable households. World Renew has also been encouraging conservation agriculture in this particular area, and through our local implementing church organization, ADS-Central Rift, we are reaching out to farmers through common interest groups. Furthermore, World Renew has been working closely with local churches to build the capacity of farmer groups by emphasizing the spiritual value of caring for God’s environment, including soil conservation for sustainable agriculture in the Banita area. When Jonathan explained a tree-growing component that was developed especially for Kenya, it seemed like a great opportunity to collaborate with ICRAF to incorporate it into our conservation agriculture work. We learned from Jonathan that EverGreen Agriculture is an agro-forestry practice that involves maintaining a green cover on farmland throughout the year. EverGreen Agriculture incorporates specifically selected tree species in annual cropping sys- tems that are usually integrated with conservation agriculture practices. EverGreen Agriculture is emerging as an affordable and accessible low-cost approach to better caring for the land and increasing smallholder food production.

In Banita, bringing in Evergreen Agriculture will have these added benefits:

The project participants are excited to grow more trees on their farms that have multiple uses such as fuel-wood, fodder, and timber. Some are willing to buy the seedlings (especially fruit trees) to plant on their farms. This could be ICRAF’s entry point into the local farm culture, making the tree component its strength.
Fuelwood is in high demand in Banita because the vegetation cover is very low and there are very few trees found on the farms.
The traditionally low maize yield is caused by poor soils. Fertilizer trees that are part of a conservation agriculture approach could have good results.
There is a lot of food insecurity in the area and diversifying food crops and income-generating activities can make the farmer groups more food secure.
There are well-established community structures that partner organizations can build on to promote food security activities.

World Renew’s global strategy emphasizes collaboration with others and active participation in alliances that make sense. A World Renew and ICRAF partnership seems like a worthwhile investment to make since our experience in Banita (and another pilot project in Niger with World Renew) tells us that it could bring a lot of learning and direction that can be used to replicate best practices in other countries where World Renew works.