farmer innovations and indigenous knowledge which promote agrobiodiversity in kenya, a case study of...
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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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