KARI-McGill Food Security Research Project Innovating for resilient

Evaluation of Integrated Soil Fertility
and Water Management on Cereals,
Legumes and Promotion of
Agroforestry in Tharaka, Machakos &
Makueni Counties of eastern Kenya
(J. N. Gitari, E. Gichangi, A. Njaimwe, L. Kimotho,
R. Wangari and B. Pelletier)
KARI-McGill Food Security Research Project
Innovating for resilient farming systems
Research to Feed Africa
CIFSRF Symposium
Naivasha, Kenya
23-27 June 2014
Photos: IDRC/PANOS, Sven Torfinn
Introduction
 Low soil fertility and poor or lack of water conservation
are considered the as the main biophysical root cause of
low crop and livestock production in semi-arid eastern
Kenya
 Inadequate soil moisture together with low and declining
soil fertility is a limiting constraints to land productivity in
the semi-arid lands (ASAL) of Kenya
 Apart from conservation of soil and water in ASALs, soil
fertility depletion has been described as the major
biophysical root cause of the declining per-capita food
availability
Objectives
 To Assess the farmers’ perceptions and prevalence of
these NRM and Agroforestry practices
 To catalyze the adoption and assess the social, economic
and environmental impacts of soil and water as well as
Agroforestry management practices
Materials & Methods………cont’d
Experimental design
 54 sub locations found in the 3 Counties of Tharaka,
Machakos and Makueni in eastern Kenya
 Each location was designated as Focal Research
Development Area (FRDA)
 Every FRDA had 3 sub sites called Primary
Participatory Agricultural Technology Evaluation
(PPATE) adapted from Snapp (1999)
Materials & Methods………cont’d
Experimental design
 Each of 54 PPATEs = Replicate in RCBD of one of the
18 FRDAs
NRM had 3 main components:
1. Agroforestry
2. Water conservation
3. ISFM
3 crops presented in the NRM are:
1. Sorghum
2. Cowpeas
3. Green grams
Materials & Methods………cont’d
Sorghum
Materials & Methods………cont’d
Cowpeas
Materials & Methods………cont’d
Green grams
Agroforestry
Experimental design
 Agroforestry:
Mainly nurseries in all the 12 PPATES of Thraka
 Main TREES were:
1. Medicinal trees: Neem (Azadirachta indica), Moringa Oleifara
(Drum stick), Prunus Africana, Warburgia ugandensis e.t.c
2. Fruit trees and nuts: Grafted mangoes, Pawpaw, Grapes and
Tamarindus indica e.t.c
3. Fodder trees: Leucaena trichandra, Calliandra calothyrsus and
Mullberry (Morus alba) e.t.c
4. Ornamentals: Various indigenous trees, various flowers and
Keiapple e.t.c
5. Timber/firewood trees: Cassia siamea, Vitex keniensis and
Grevillea robusta e.t.c
Agroforestry in Tharaka County
Materials & Methods in NRM
Experimental design:
Water Harvesting methods tested and demonstrated in PPATES
Plate 1: Water harvesting treatments a) Open ridges and b) Tied
ridges
Results
1800
1600
Grain Yield (kg/ha)
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
Tied Ridges
Open Ridge
Control
Fertilizer
Manure
Control
Fertilizer
Manure
Control
Fertilizer
Manure
0
Flat Ground
Moisture Conservation Structures
Fig.: Sorghum grain yield under different water conservation and soil fertility
treatments in Tharaka sub County
Results
2000
1800
1600
Grain Yield (kg/ha)
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Manure Fertilizer
Control
Tied Ridges
Manure Fertilizer
Control
Open Ridge
Moisture Conservation Structures
Manure Fertilizer
Control
Flat Ground
Fig.: Cowpea grain yield under different water conservation and soil fertility trts
Green grams in Kathonzweni sub county
Grain yield in Kathonzweni Subcounty
o Combined FYM &
Inorganic fertilizer
increased grain yield
of green gram relative
to fertilizer alone
irrespective of water
harvesting technique
1000
900
800
Green gram yield (Kg/ha)
o Across water
harvesting and soil
fertility management
practices, green gram
yield ranged from 360
to 1540 kg ha-1.
700
600
500
Open ridge
400
Tied ridge
300
200
100
0
Manure alone
Manure + Fertilizer
Fertilizer alone
Green grams in Yatta sub county
o In WM trt - Tied
Ridges had higher
grain yields but not
significant (P≥0.05)
EFFECT OF SOIL TREATMENT AND WATER HARVESTING
1600
1400
o In ISFM trts - Fertilizer
+ FYM gave
significantly higher
(P≥0.05) grain yields
GREEN GRAM YIELD (KG/HA)
1200
1000
5t FYM/ha
800
20 kg P2O5 ha-1 + 10 Kg N
600
5t FYM/ha + 20 Kg P2O5 +
10Kg N
400
200
0
Tied ridges
Open ridges
Green grams in Kabefa PPATE of Makindu sub County
o In WM trts - Tied
Ridges had slightly
more grain yields than
open ridges but not
significant (P≥0.05)
o In ISFM trts Fertilizer + FYM gave
more grain yields
Farmer Assessments:
 They ranked combined organic & inorganic ISFM as the best
treatments
 They had reservations on the labour requirements for
applying manure in the furrows
 Similarly they were impressed with TIED ridges
Farmer Perceptions & Future Implications
 Fertilizer trts are good but EXPENSIVE & RISKY investment
 FYM is a good source of nutrient but have INSUFFICIENT
quantities plus is cumbersome to handle
 myth that inorganic fertilizers “SPOIL” the soil is fast fading
and more farmers are now willing to apply fertilizers on
their fields.
 For example, farmers in Katangi PPATE and associated
SPATEs collectively raised Ksh 76,500 for purchase of
inorganic fertilizers for their short rains 2012/2013 season
crops
Acknowledgements
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The two project-PI-Dr. Gordon M. Hickey & Dr. Lutta
Muhammad
Canadian International Food Security Research Fund
(#106510)
Canadian International Food Security Research Fund
(CIFSRF)
IDRC who supported the work through the financial
support of the Government of Canada provided
through Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
Canada (DFATD)
Director KARI for authorizing this publication and for
creating an enabling environment under which the
work is being done
Collaborating farmers & Ministry of Agriculture staff
of Tharaka, Machakos & Makueni Counties
Centre Director and staff of KARI - Embu & Katumani
YOU ALL for listening
Photos: IDRC/PANOS, Sven Torfinn
Photos: IDRC/PANOS, Sven Torfinn

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