FARMER INNOVATIONS AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE WHICH PROMOTE AGROBIODIVERSITY IN KENYA, A CASE STUDY OF

MWINGI AND BONDO DISTRICTS

PRESENTED AT

REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON LEARNING AGROBIODIVERSITY: OPTIONS FOR UNIVERSITIES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

21-23 JANUARY, 2009, ICRAF HOUSE, NAIROBI, KENYA

PROFESSOR R.W. MICHIEKA

UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI AND FAO CONSULTANT

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INTRODUCTION FAO-Netherlands partnership programme on Agrobiodiversity

(AGBD) was launched in 2005 to support ecosystems, rural livelihoods and food security

Farmer innovations (FI) and Indigenous Knowledge (IK) promote

AGBD, sustainability and food security

FI and IK neglected by researchers and extensionists but are rich in relevance for sustainability

objective- to contribute in the mainstreaming of AGBD through the experiences gained in situ and on farms in two districts of Kenya

FI and IK should be incorporated into research, extension and curriculum when mainstreaming AGBD

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METHODOLOGY Mwingi in Eastern province- semi-arid area with agro-

pastoral agro-ecosystem

Bondo in Nyanza Province- in Lake Victoria basin hence sub-humid and agro-ecosystem has aquatic and terrestrial components

Data sourced from Participatory Rural Appraisals (PRAs) and stakeholder workshops, FAO and internet

PRAs composed of farmers, FFS coordinators and staff from ministries of Agriculture, Forestry and Water who used a checklist developed by FAO

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BondoMwingi

Map of Kenya showing the location of Mwingi and Bondo

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FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

230 innovative farmers have been identified, verified and characterised

there are about 20 categories of farmer innovations

main innovations are in water harvesting, irrigation, ethno-veterinary, soil and water conservation and biological pest control

the innovative farmers organised into groups that do cross visits and exchange of ideas

innovativeness cuts across gender as women also participate and win awards

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water harvesting, 16%

Irrigation, 8%

Ethno-veterinary, 7%

Soil & water conservation,

6%

Biological pest control, 6%

Others, 57%

Major categories of farmer innovations

OthersLivestock managementAgro-forestryFarm tools and machineryPoultry managementBee keepingSoil fertility managementCrop managementTree crop farming Water storage Seed/crop storageProcessing for exportSeed crop bulking Agro-processingWater table management

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indigenous knowledge (IK) relevant to AGBD include traditional recipes, agronomy, seed issues, herbal medicine and rites

a wide variety of plants and animals both domesticated and wild are

used but not in a destructive way like today

much of IK is getting lost for example variety of traditional foodstuffs as indicated in the balance sheet

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Lost crops (or disappearing) Crops gained

millet, finger millet, sorghum, Dolichos, arrowroot, pumpkin, cowpeas, banana, sweet potatoes, date palm, tamarind, cassava, dumbbell, “ndakithi”, “mbumbu”, “thalama”

maize, pawpaw, mangoes, oranges, sisal, guava and loquat

Net loss 9

Total 16

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Balance sheet comparing indigenous and introduced crops in Mwingi Disrtrict

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Crop diversity in Bondo

A wide diversity of crops/crop varieties are grown in Bondo. During the assessment, households (HH)

could identify >40 species of cereals, grain legumes, root and tuber, oil crops, vegetables, fibers and underutilized crops grown for Food and Cash.

Although there were different varieties for each crop, for the major crops, the HH could identify 7 varieties of maize, 9 of sorghum and 5 for beans

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Mwingi Bondo

Lost indigenous crops (or getting lost)

16 22

Introduced crops 7 11

Net loss (or gain) -9 -11

Lost indigenous livestock (or getting lost)

3 3

Introduced livestock 2 3

Net loss (or gain) -1 0

Original fish stock (species)

- 16

Lost or unavailable - 12

Currently available - 4

A balance sheet for indigenous and introduced crops in Mwingi and Bondo districts

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IK can prove modern ways wrong e.g. in farmers Mwingi are urged to stop ratooning sorghum but a study by KARI proved farmers right i.e. more profitable

ecologically adapted plant and animal species in Mwingi give better returns as they can do relatively well under adverse conditions

most farmers in both districts still intercrop as a risk aversion strategy

indigenous methods of pest control like use of ash have little environmental impact, for instance there is little or no interference with pollinators

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Indigenous knowledge and gender

IK has a strong correlation with gender e.g. herbal practise mainly by men seed issues for women e.g. seed

preservation and marketing making women the main custodians of plant genetic resources

Important because private seed companies pay little attention to indigenous crops

Women at trading centre selling grains for food and seed

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Major findings in relation to access of seed

Informal seed sector supply over 90% seed needs of Resource Poor Farmers in the rural areas of Bondo, however, seed regulations do not support the sector development

Existing seed policies target national seed requirements and large scale farmers

It is mainly women that are involved in the informal seed sector, however, their involvement in national seed policy and programs is very limited

Most NGOs and CBOs involved in informal seed initiatives at grass root levels are structurally weak, poorly resourced, lack allies and remain largely unrecognized by state institutions and research process

Farmers view own saved, relatives’ and market seeds as more accessible, relatively good in quality and very reliable compared to certified seeds

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Gender and crops grown-BondoCrops indicated to be mainly grown by men

Crops grown by both men and women

Crops indicated to be mainly grown by women

Gombe location

Orange, banana, passion, avocado, lemon, nduta, Sandra, njamna, cashewnut, cotton

Groundnut, mangoes, pawpaw, bean, maize, tomatoes, kales

Maize, sorghum, cowpea, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, green gram, crotolaria, spider plant, solanum nigram, sesame, cassava, spinach, gourd.

Yimbo Location

Tomatoes, soybean, grain amaranth, banana, sugarcane, sunflower, oranges, cotton, avocado, cashewnut

Sorghum, maize, groundnut, bean, kales, sesame

Sweet potatoes, kales, cowpea, cassava, jute plant, sunhemp, spider plant, leafy amaranth, black night shade, green gram, millets, pumpkins, finder millet

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Reasons for neglect and underutilization of traditional crops Changing eating habits of younger

generations Inadequate knowledge on cooking

methods of the traditional crops Lack of knowledge on crop husbandry

practices Lack/limited seed sources for the

traditional crops

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Threats to Indigenous knowledge and AGBD

changing values due to globalisation-traditional ways shunned

destruction of habitants for birds, insects including pollinators etc

new technology that makes IK redundant

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CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

FI and IK are neglected by research and extension yet they’re important in sustainability and AGBD

adoption of new technologies can be easier if IK is incorporated

policies encouraging community identified women and men to perform on-farm variety development, seed production, processing and marketing

Funding of FI and retrieval and documentation of IK

FI and IK are important for incorporation into AGBD curriculum

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

the organizers led by Regina Laub

FAO Rome and Kenya

all PRA participants

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