COUNTRY PROGRESS REPORT KENYA

Compiled and presentated by SAMUEL K. MUHUNYU, NECOFA Kenya country coordinator

1. Introduction

Kenya lies on the Eastern side of Africa and strides between the Indian Ocean and Lake Victoria. Kenya is a land of contrast: it traverses between the sea level to an ice cupped mountain; between very arid agro-climatic zone that can barely sustain life to humid highlands that experience hailstones and frosting.

Moisture availability zones of Kenya are as below:

ZoneArea	% Land
Humid	4.3
Sub-humid	4.1
Semi-humid	4.4
Semi-humid to semi-arid	4.9
Semi-arid	15.0
Arid	21.7
Very Arid	45.6

(Source: Somebroek et al 1982)

Kenya’s population has grown unchecked over the years i.e

Year	Population (Millions)
1948	5.4
1962	8.6
1969	11.0
1979	15.3
1989	21.4
2000	31.2
2010	37.0 (Projected)

Of the total Kenya area of about 410,000 Km²; less than 25% can be classified as agriculturally potential. It is in this area that over 70% of the Kenya population is settled. This is the country’s breadbasket.

Before this area was penetrated by European settlers, the land use system was a combination of pastoralism and subsistence agriculture that was based on shifting cultivation with long fallow periods since the population was low. It was an extensive land use system with vast areas of land under grazing and a large variety of crops were grown which ensured availability of different foods all the year round. The system also contributed in maintenance of the soil fertility and the general environment.

With the advent of colonialism in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries; the African farmer was pushed to the periphery (Politically and administratively) and the better part of the highlands was allocated to large-scale white settler farmers who cleared large tracts of bushes and forests for farming. These farmers practiced high external input mixed farming. They also integrated crop rotation and soil conservation in their programmes.

Their farming system, though to a big extent was not ecologically appropriate contributed significantly in maintaining and enhancing the environment.

Radical changes occurred after independence in 1963 when the majority of the white settlers gradually left the country and more development efforts were directed towards small-scale farming by African farmers. Many large scale farms were subdivided to give way to permanent settlement and small scale farming for over 70% of the population.

Pressure on land has increased continuously and this has led to intensive cultivation of steep slopes and exploitation of ecologically fragile areas. Population densities in this area is high (about 600 persons per square kilometer) and the land holding per family is less than one hectare.

The high population pressure has resulted in many people shifting to drier areas and exploiting them for food crops and animal production using inappropriate technologies for the prevailing ecological conditions. These lands and even the highlands will not be able to sustainably produce enough food for the increasing population without instituting adequate soil and water conservation measures and good land husbandry.

NECOFA-Kenya and other agricultural service providers are faced with the challenges of developing and promoting participatory agricultural production technologies for:

Improved conservation, utilization and management of natural resources.
Food production for the expanding population.
Integrated production and pest management (IPPM).
Enterprise selection aimed at high gross margin.
Water harvesting and simple supplementary irrigation.
High value tree crop production; farm forestry and energy conservation
Adding value to animal and crop produce.

Though the over 75% Arid to semi-arid Kenya experienced little or no direct effects of colonialism, the harsh climatic conditions and influx of crop farmers have worsened their situation. The competition for the scarce water and pasture resources is high and has led to even bloody conflicts.

The main challenges for NECOFA and other agricultural service providers in these areas include developing and promoting participatory technologies for:

Water harvesting for livestock and crop production

Enterprise diversification

Dry land agro-forestry

Adding value to livestock and crop products.

Marketing

HIV/Aids Scourge has adversely affected the social/economic wellbeing of Kenyans. The agricultural sector has not been spared and has been denied resources and time that otherwise would have been spent on it. NECOFA and other service providers in the sector have the challenge of joining others in the “struggle” against this epidemic.

2. MEMBERSHIP AND ORGANIZATION

2.1 Membership:

The current membership for NECOFA-KENYA is as below:

Individual members	34
Community Based Organizations(CBO’S)	13
Non- Governmental Organizations	3
Governmental Organizations	2

NECOFA – Kenya has planned a series of workshops in different parts of the country (if fundraising is successful) in which recruitment for membership will be done.

2.2 Organization:

NECOFA- Kenya is managed by an eleven (11) member management board headed by a chair person. The board members are drawn from the two provinces in which NECOFA has membership and activities

As NECOFA Kenya expands to other Provinces, the board will expand proportionally to take on board representatives of other provinces. Elections for board members will be done every two (2) years from the date of official registration.

The chief executive is the NECOFA-Country coordinator who is responsible of the day to day running of the secretariat and coordinating all the other activities.

2.3 Legal Registration:

NECOFA- Kenya is in the process of acquiring legal registration as a non-governmental organization(NGO) in the attorney general’s office. The Logo and acronym have been approved .

3. ACHIEVEMENTS

i) NECOFA Country Secretariat

NECOFA-Kenya has a full-time Secretariat housed at the Kenya National Assurance building in Kisumu town. The secretariat coordinates and documents the activities of NECOFA in Kenya. It also serves as a resource center for members and member organizations.

NECOFA-Kenya has undertaken a project of sourcing technical information literature and materials with the aim of strengthening the resource center. It has already received technical material donations from:

Regional Land Management Unit (RELMA/Sida)
Legume Research Network Project (L.R.N.P)
Kenya Rain Water Association (KRA)
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
Kenya Neem Foundation

ii) Community mobilization

NECOFA-Kenya has organised and held three ( 3 ) “match making” workshops and field shows. In these workshops and field shows community-based organizations and agricultural service providers have participated. These have been very good forums for information and technology exchange between the community groups themselves, between the community groups and service providers and the service providers themselves have had an opportunity for comparing technology service delivery.

During the workshop the groups were encouraged and assisted to prepare group profiles and to conduct internal capacity assessment. These are important in giving the groups identity and more so identifying their inherent and /or acquired human and material capacity.

NECOFA-Kenya has provided consultancy services on community mobilazation for the following:

Lake Victoria Environment Management Programme (NGO)
Africa Now (NGO)
Care for the Earth ( CBO)
Sustainable Development Partners (CBO)

With African Institute for Capacity Development (AICAD), NECOFA-Kenya has organised one capacity building workshop for community groups’ leaders at the Baraka Agricultural College-Molo

iii) Water harvesting

In the Rift Valley Highlands of Nakuru where more than 60% of the homesteads depend on shallow wells (10-30 meters deep) for water supply, NECOFA has developed a cheap, simple and gender convenient pump. This pumping mechanism has been demonstrated at four different sites. NECOFA will fabricate and install such pumps for farmers at a small fee.

In Lare area of Njoro (dry highlands), NECOFA-Kenya and the Kenya Rainwater Association have demonstrated runoff water harvesting and storage. This water is being used for small vegetable gardens and livestock during the dry weather.

iv) Bee-keeping

In the Semi-Arid and arid districts of North Rift Valley; NECOFA-Kenya and the Kenya Beekeepers association have been conducting training demonstrations on bee-keeping and honey processing. NECOFA has been instrumental in organizing the beekeepers in these districts in forming a marketing association for their honey and honey products. The association is in the process of registration

v) Eco-farming Exhibitions

In promoting eco-farming as the socially, economically and ecologically appropriate land use system; NECOFA-Kenya has exhibited in two Agricultural Society of Kenya organised shows of Kisumu and Nakuru hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture. These shows run for close to a week and attract thousands of farmers. The exhibitions included demonstrations on:

Soil fertility improvement by composing and liquid manures
Pest and disease management with Neem extracts.
Simple irrigation systems for gardens.
Food preservation
Energy conservation

vi) Agricultural commodity marketing

NECOFA-Kenya has been in the forefront in organizing community groups to form marketing associations/federations. This process is aimed at empowering the communities through these federations/associations to take charge of marketing their commodities. Previously the farmers have earned very little compared to middlemen who have taken advantage of the small and weak groups especially women and youth groups.

The groups through the associations/federations are now more in control of the marketing process.

The associations/federations already formed include:

Akukuranut Development Trust in Teso District.
SARDEP in Keiyo District.
Mau Community Groups Association in Nakuru District.

vii) Campaign against HIV/AIDS

Necofa-Kenya has made it a policy to include an item on the campaign against HIV/Aids in all it’s activities. Similarly, NECOFA personnel have been invited to participate in several HIV/Aids workshops and seminars and have made presentations on the effects of the disease on the agricultural sector.

4. FUNDING

Finances for NECOFA-Kenya activities have been from the following:

Members contributions. Each individual member pays Ksh.300 per year while member institutions/organisations pay Ksh.500 annually.
Donations from individual members especially in paying rent for the secretariat, travel and subsistence when on NECOFA missions.
GTZ-KASIM one year support for payment of office rent until April 2001.
Returns from constancy.
Material donations by member NGO’s and CBO’s.

5. CONSTRAINTS

i) Necofa Kenya coverage

Necofa activities are concentrated in the western region of the Country covering the provinces of Nyanza and Rift Valley. Even then only eight ( 8 ) districts are covered in the two provinces. This is a very small portion of the country Kenya. It has been difficult to expand the operations in other districts and provinces due to financial and personnel constraints.

This has greatly impeded NECOFA Kenya’s Impact on this very important sector. It has also denied NECOFA the opportunity of establishing impact causing small projects.

ii). Management of the secretariat

The “on” and “off” volunteers managing the secretariat denies Necofa consistency and in some cases the volunteer leaves when his or her services are needed most.

Many of the other NECOFA members capable of managing the secretariat are in formal employment and can not get time off for managing the secretariat.

iii) Modern Information Technology (IT) equipment

Necofa-Kenya secretariat lacks the most basic equipments for modern communication and information processing. The secretariat only has a postal box for communication and lacks telephone, computer and fax facilities.

The resource center envisaged lacks even equipment for training materials design and development.

6. WAY FORWARD

The following are some of the activities/ programmes that Necofa wishes to venture into in the near future:

Develop a simple Eco-farming training manual. The manual will capture all aspects of Eco-farming.
The manual will target mainly the small scale farmers and schools.

Start a school approach programme for Eco-farming. The programme will involve giving eco-farming sensitizing lectures in secondary schools will move to colleges and Universities.

Ecofarming capacity building for farmers and agricultural extension service providers will be conducted in equal minded institutions already in place e.g. Baraka Agricultural College and Kenya Institute of Organic Farming.

Establish an Eco-farming Institute of Africa. The Institute will give a one week eco-farming Eco-farming skills training to farmers and gradually evolve towards becoming a college for Eco-farming with certification.

The Institute will also serve as an Eco-farming demonstration farm.

7. CONCLUSSION

Currently NECOFA-Kenya is depending heavily on it’s membership for financing its recurrent and development activities. This system is not sustainable for long.

It is therefore important that other financial sources are identified to supplement the contributions by members. This could include venturing into income generating activities and seeking donor support

( the later has been hard to come by).

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