Work in Groups, Diversify, Value-Add; Farmers Urged

Dr. Carlo Fadda (left) and Dr. Abdoul Aziz during official opening of the processing unit in Vihiga.

Smallholder farmers have been urged to work in groups, diversify their agricultural activities and embrace value addition. This will come a long way in enhancing food security, managing post-harvest losses, empowering them economically, and creating employment among other benefits.

In the years 2018 - 2021 the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT in collaboration with Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO’s) Benefit sharing fund established three community seedbanks – one in Vihiga and two in Kisumu. The seedbanks were primarily responsible for conservation of indigenous diversity of sorghum, finger millet, beans, traditional leafy vegetables and local maize varieties. In a bid to improve the sustainability of these seedbanks the Alliance decided to upgrade them to create linkages between the diversity conserved and value addition and marketing.

Last week, farmers in Vihiga county’s Itumbu and Lianaginga areas and their counterparts in Nyakach in Kabudi-Agoro and Nyando within Kisumu county, received processing units and value addition equipment. 

A farmer demonstrates how they used to winnow sorghum manually.

The initiative was financed by the Alliance of Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), in collaboration with International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature of the Netherlands.

Speaking during the official launch of the processing units and handing over of equipment, farmers recalled hard experiences they had working manually especially threshing and winnowing produce.

“As women, we suffered most especially because manual winnowing of produce like sorghum was not only tiresome, but some of us would end up with allergic reactions like coughing and skin rush,” recalled Jane Adhiambo, a farmer from Nyando.

She expressed optimism that young people in the area would get employment opportunities through being engaged in the value chain from production to processing as well as marketing.

Another farmer, Alice Sungu from Vihiga Community Seedbank and Nutrition Center recalled how they would struggle drying seeds. Sometime, she noted, it would rain unexpectantly while they had put seeds outside to dry under the sun. 

These and other challenges will now be a thing of the past as they have received a solar-powered drier for drying both seeds and produce including vegetables, cassava, grains among others. 

In total, three processing units have been constructed at the Vihiga Community Seedbank and Nutrition Center; and two in Nyakach, Kisumu county at Kabudi Agoro Community Seedbank and Nyando Community seedbank respectively.

Through the CGIAR Initiative on Nature Positive Solutions (Nature + Initiative), all the centers received solar-powered driers, threshers, winnowers and hermetic packaging materials. Additionally, they were offered technical support to enable then operate the equipment efficiently and effectively.

“Farmers are the main building block especially in in-situ conservation and therefore the need to support them in saving seeds and maintaining biodiversity,” said Dr. Abdul Aziz Niane, the ICARDA country manager for United Arabs Emirates who doubles up as the Arabian Peninsula Regional Program Coordinator and ICARDA focal person in the CGIAR’s  Nature + Initiative.

Two years ago, Dr. Aziz recalled asking farmers from the three seedbanks their constraints. Among the answers were processing, seed storage, drying and market access. By providing the processing units and equipment, he noted the farmers are well empowered to save quality seeds, aggregate produce, and process for both preservation and marketing.

Traditional crops are not only resilient to climate change, pests and diseases, but also nutritious and should therefore be championed not only among farmers but across stakeholders.

With climate change and its effects being a major challenge, farmers need to be equipped with diversified crop varieties.

Genetic Resources Research Institute (GeRRI) Director Dr. Destrio Nyamongo said this way, farmers spread risks and are assured of harvest whether rains are short of long. “Some crops like the early maturing ones will survive when the rains are little, while the late maturing ones are well able to withstand long rains,” said Dr. Nyamongo.

He hailed Nature + Initiative for the supporting seed banking adding that this is key towards encouraging biodiversity, seed security and subsequently food security.

While most farmers are small holders, working together comes a long way in not only sharing lessons, but also towards sustainable production and marketing.

“Farmers need to be well organised, work in groups so that they can maximise production and enjoy the economies of scale,” said Dr. Carlo Fadda, the global lead, CGIAR Nature + Initiative and lead of Agroecology research at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT.

In Nyando and Kabudi for example, Dr. Fadda noted, Nature + is working with farmers through an aggregated farms approach. Farmers who independently own small pieces of land have come together to aggregate the land and be able to produce jointly. In Vihiga, Nature + Initiative has established a two-acre demo farm.

Dr. Fadda called on policy makers to mainstream seed laws and recognize traditional varieties as the current laws favor the conventional seed system.