The rains have become scarcer in Kenya, with farmers having to deal with extended dry periods that have affected crop production especially for those who do not use irrigation.
For a number of farmers in the country, this has caused despondency but for others, adoption of climate-smart practices has come in handy.
One of climate-smart practices that is increasingly being adopted by smallholder farmers in Kenya is the use of organic fertilizer obtained from animals and plants.
The other one is growing crops in shallow pits filled with plant waste that retains moisture.
The two technologies are helping smallholder farmers in both urban and rural areas to grow food in gardens amid dry spells.
“I grow my vegetables using chicken manure which I source from the neighborhood. I have applied it on my entire farm and despite the failure of rains, I don’t lack vegetables,” Moses Kimutai, a farmer in Kitengela, south of Nairobi, said recently.
Kimutai noted that he adopted animal manure following advice from agriculturalists, who informed him that when applied to the soil, manure helps retain moisture besides making it fertile.
“This also minimizes water usage as the soil remains moist. Thus, even without rains, crops thrive,” he said.
He mulches his crops that include traditional vegetables, using grass, which further helps him minimize irrigation water.
“I don’t have drip irrigation but I water my kitchen garden using a can. I do it once a week but my crops are still thriving,” he said.
Use of mulch, according to Beatrice Macharia of Growth Point, an agro-consultancy in Kajiado, south of Nairobi, is one of climate-smart organic practices, which minimizes water usage particularly at this time when the rains have become erratic.
“We encourage farmers to mulch their crops especially at this time when one is not assured of the rains. Besides, the organic practice helps cut irrigation water expenses,” she said.
Margaret Gacheru, who farms tomatoes in Kiambu, on the outskirts of Nairobi, uses slurry from her biogas unit as top dressing organic fertilizer for her crops to thrive.
With regular failure of the rains, farmers in nearly all parts of the country are also adopting shallow pits to grow food.
The technology that has been widely used in semi-arid areas where rains are scarce is now gathering steam across the country as rains become erratic.
To start, farmers dig a shallow pit measuring 60 cm length by 60 cm width and 30 cm depth.
The pit is then filled halfway with plant materials that include dry leaves, maize or rice waste.
Animal manure is then added and mixed with top soil thoroughly.
The pit is then left for sometime for the plant material to decompose.
“In arid areas, one can wait for the rains to fall and then plant crops or they can irrigate them and then plant. With this technology, one does not need rains for many months,” said Macharia.
“It rains rarely in Makueni where we farm but we are among the top producers of mangoes and oranges because we use these pits,” said Herman Mulei, a farmer.
He noted that farmers are coming from other parts of the country to learn about the technology from them to beat the effects of climate change.
Kenya, like other countries in Eastern Africa, is set to experience drought between October and December, a time when the region experiences rains, according to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development Climate Prediction Center. Enditem
