|
Country report at the workshop in Uganda 2002 |
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 19th and early 20th 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:
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.
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.
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.
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 .
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:
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:
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:
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:
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.
Finances for NECOFA-Kenya activities have been from the following:
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.
The following are some of the activities/ programmes that Necofa wishes to venture into in the near future:
The Institute will also serve as an Eco-farming demonstration farm.
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).
