Written by Mercyline Tata
PlantVillage’s movement to plant 3 million trees by 2023 to capture carbon and address climate risks and food insecurity is a blessing to smallholder farmers who are seen to reap from the lucrative business – growing and selling trees. One such farmer is Consolata Tata, 59, a widow and a mother of three children located in Ikapolok Village, Busia County, Kenya.
Written by Emmy Neema
Kenya has an irrigation potential of about 1,350,000 acres according to the National Irrigation Authority. Out of these, only about 500,000 acres of irrigation have been developed. With improved water harvesting and water storage facilities, the current irrigation potential could increase to about 1.9M acres.
The population relying on agriculture for their livelihoods is about 75%. Irrigation is crucial to Kenya's agriculture sector, as it provides a reliable water supply for crops throughout the year, even in Arid and Semi-arid Lands (ASAL) areas. However, unsustainable irrigation practices have led to the depletion of water resources, soil degradation, and reduced agricultural productivity.
To ensure smallholder farmers in ASAL areas practice sustainable irrigation, PlantVillage has championed various irrigation measures to ensure food security and enhance agroforestry practices. The organization also aims to transform tens of thousands of hectares from bone-dry sand to vegetable-sprouting soil.
Written by Ann Ngo, Chrisy Awali, Moses Peyesa
The PlanVillage team in Malawi is engaging farmers in the use of Integrated Pest Management techniques to empower the smallholder farmers with the knowledge, expertise, and resources needed to minimize losses leading to an increase in yields and income generation. In Lilongwe and Dedza districts, the Plantvillage team is conducting farmer training on the use of botanical pesticides to control insect pests like fall armyworms, beetles, and aphids.
Written by Mercy Achieng
Farmers in Burkina Faso have found a unique gem in using zai pits as a remedy for some of the challenges they have been facing on their farms.The PlantVillage team in the country, through extensive research and consultations has introduced the farmers to the technique to boost large-scale production of vegetables.
Zai is a traditional system for rehabilitating the productivity of poor and crusted soils that involves manually digging holes to concentrate runoff and organic matter. The technique consists of digging a hole with the help of a daba (tillage tool) 10 to 15 cm deep and 20 to 40 cm on each side.
Written by Ouedraogo Mariam
Le neem et le piment sont connus pour être des remèdes traditionnels au problème des ravageurs à la ferme.
De nombreux agriculteurs peuvent avoir peu ou pas de connaissances sur la façon de préparer et d’utiliser les extraits et finissent par dépendre tellement des pesticides synthétiques qui sont nocifs pour le sol, les plantes, les humains et même les animaux.
Written by Dennis Avokoywa.
PlantVillage’s Warrior View Project has received a major boost after 24 Morans were recruited to join the Dream Team in northern Kenya in helping African pastoralists in drylands combat climate change threats.
The young men, drawn from Samburu, Isiolo, and Marsabit counties, received training on the use of the PlantVillage Nuru and data collection applications in a three-day exercise that concluded on Wednesday, April 5, 2023.
Written by Emmy Neema
PlantVillage recently launched the borehole drilling process in Garashi, Magarini sub-county. The project is set to benefit 30 households through contract farming, to increase crop productivity, ensure water security, and enhance agroforestry.
The project is set to assist members of Nuru Community Irrigation Group CBO in producing high-value crops in three cropping seasons per year.
Written by Mercy Achieng
The PlantVillage team in Kenya trained Farmers of the Salabani community in Marigat, Baringo South on the production and benefits of biochar to the soil. A training that aimed to ensure climate change mitigation through regeneration of land and enhancement of soil fertility and productivity. The locals appreciated biochar as a soil amender for holding soil nutrients, improvement of soil water retention, and plant ecology. Our field officers are working with the locals to turn the highly invasive weed, Mesquite (Prosopsis juliflora) into biochar.
Written by Dennis Avokoywa
According to a report by USAID-Kenya, the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya constitute 80% of the country's territory. Most counties, especially those in the northeastern part of the country, experience little to no rainfall, forcing the residing communities to rely heavily on livestock for their livelihood.
This over-reliance has often fueled conflicts, as competition for scarce resources like water and grazing land has triggered tensions leading to violence, thereby hampering livelihoods and infrastructural progress due to the rise of animal banditry.
Recognizing the need for a transformative approach, PlantVillage has initiated several projects in Northern Kenya to diversify pastoralists' livelihoods. Notable among these projects are the establishment of tree nurseries, kitchen gardens, and grazing management programs. These initiatives empower pastoralists to explore crop farming as a viable alternative to relying solely on livestock for their income.
"Most of our people are nomadic pastoralists who depend entirely on livestock. The root cause of this conflict lies in the absence of alternative income sources, leaving communities with little choice but to fiercely defend their territories," said Lesoi Pan, a casual at PlantVillage's tree nursery in Maralal, Samburu County.
Written by Mercyline Tata
PlantVillage scripted yet another success story in youth employment when it offered a one-week training in parasitoids mass production to 10 young graduates in Kenya.