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The National Research Fund facilitates research for the advancement of Science, Technology and Innovation. One of our core functions is to compile and maintain a national database of research and innovation projects funded by the Fund and other agencies as per the STI Act of 2013.
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Recent Submissions
Adoption and Dis-Adoption of Sustainable Agriculture: A Case of Farmers’ Innovations and Integrated Fruit Fly Management in Kenya
(MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil iations., 2021-04-09) Charity M. Wangithi, Beatrice W. Muriithi, and Raphael Belmin
The invasive fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis poses a major threat to the production and trade of
mango in sub-Saharan Africa. Farmers devise different innovations to manage the pest in an attempt
to minimize yield loss and production costs while maximizing revenues. Using survey data obtained
from Embu County, Kenya, we analyzed farmers’ knowledge and perception as regards the invasive
fruit fly, their innovations for the management of the pest, and the determinants of their adoption
and dis-adoption decisions of recently developed and promoted integrated pest management (IPM)
technologies for suppression of the pest. The results show that farmers consider fruit flies as a major
threat to mango production (99%) and primarily depend on pesticides (90%) for the management
of the pest. Some farmers (35%) however use indigenous methods to manage the pest. Though
farmers possess good knowledge of different IPM strategies, uptake is relatively low. The regression
estimates show that continued use of IPM is positively associated with the gender and education of
the household head, size of a mango orchard, knowledge on mango pests, training, contact with an
extension officer, and use of at least one non-pesticide practice for fruit fly management, while IPM
dis-adoption was negatively correlated with the size of the mango orchard, practice score and use of
indigenous innovations for fruit fly management. We recommend enhancing farmer0
s knowledge
through increased access to training programs and extension services for enhanced adoption of
sustainable management practices for B. dorsalis.
Education and Training for Sustainable Agriculture and Nutrition in East Africa (EaTSANE)
(2021-10-13) Lydiah Waswa, Samuel Mwonga, Thomas Pircher, Christine Lambert, Sahrah Fischer, Irmgard Jordan, Johny Mugisha, Maria Glas de Temel, Jeninah Karungi-Tumutegyereize, Margaret Kabahenda, Verena Bitzer, Mona Dhamankar, Ineke Aquarius, Ingrid Sinnige, Thomas Hilger and Georg Cadisch.
Food insecurity and malnutrition remain serious challenges for many farming households in Africa who continue to witness reductions in crop yields accelerated by inadequate farming practices. While nutrition-sensitive agriculture and diverse diets have been identified as strategies for improving nutrition, little is known about the interlinkages between consumption and production strategies and the required pre-conditions and incentives for farmers to engage in diversified crop production. The understanding of crop diversity and nutrition requires a food system approach that acknowledges these dependencies and the role of the entire value chain.
Using a participatory-action-learning approach, the EaTSANE project aimed at implementing sustainable farming practices and improved diets of farming households in Teso South Sub-County, Kenya, and Kapchorwa District, Uganda through diversified production and diets in the food system. The objectives of the project were: (i) identifying and promoting the adoption of improved farming practices that promote healthier soils and production of more diverse and nutritious crops, (ii) improving access of value chain actors to inputs and services, their links, and reducing food losses through improved handling and processing practices, and (iii) enhancing consumers’ food culture, resulting in healthier diets and more equitable distribution of food in households. The project was implemented through four work packages (WPs). WP1 evaluated diversified farming practices for improved soils. Three-strata-forage-cropping system demonstrations that integrated maize, legumes, and leafy vegetables using conservation agriculture principles were used. To promote vertical gardens practices, secondary school youths were trained in vertical gardens technologies and followed up to assess the dissemination of these technologies to their households. In WP2, farm households and food markets surveys were conducted and farmers’ decision to grow nutrient-dense crops and how this impacted household food security, local market dynamics, gender relations in food value chains and gender consumption gap assessed. In WP3, food culture and nutrition were assessed in selected villages using Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and Trials of Improved Practises (TIPs). During FGD, perceived availability, utilization, hindering, and facilitating factors to increased consumption of vegetables, fruits, and legumes, and household decision-making on food processing and distribution were assessed. Tips were conducted to identify drivers and barriers for dietary diversification, meal preparation, infant and young child feeding, improved intra-household food distribution, seasonal food availability, and sun-drying of vegetables. Based on training needs identified from WP1-WP3 activities, communication, education, training, and policy dialogue materials were developed through the co-creation process with stakeholders in joint experimentation and learning in WP4. Results from the project indicated that the three-strata-forage cropping system increased crop diversity and improved yields. Farmers benefited from diverse diets attained through crop diversity and introduced nutrient-dense crops. The youth extension approach was effective in disseminating vertical garden technologies to households and thus potentially enhanced access to vegetables. Gender-sensitive value-chain platforms for nutrient-dense crops were established. Participants in TIPs showed a high willingness to adopt messages tested including adopting nutrient-dense recipes, diverse diets, and sun-drying of vegetables and fruits, resulting in improved diets. Nutrition education messages for improved dietary diversity, feeding practices, and meal preparation techniques for healthy families were generated. Communication, education, training, and policy dialogue materials including seven practice notes and the “Happy Family Board Game” educational tool which reveal the interconnectedness of household decision-making in agriculture, nutrition, and value chains were developed for wider dissemination and capacity building in applying sustainable production practices and improved diets and value chain enabling environments. The action research approach facilitated farmers’ behavior change towards more sustainable farming, crop diversification, and improved diets. Close collaborations among stakeholders is needed to facilitate the creation of niches in which farmers and researchers contextualized the research activities for often complex variables within the farmer environment.
"Optimizing small-scale biogas technology for household energy and improvement of soil fertility within coffee-dairy production systems in Kiambu and Machakos Counties"
(2023-09) Stephen Mailu, Thomas Rewe, Kevin Kinusu, Peterson Njeru, & Collins Nwogwugwu
Coffee farmers are major users of energy both for household heating and cooking as well as on-farm activities. In rural households, the primary source of energy remains firewood and charcoal with intermittent usage of kerosene and electricity. Coffee farmers also have soil fertility needs towards higher yields and profitable production not only for coffee but also for other associated crops (e.g., maize and beans). Over-reliance on charcoal and firewood is considered a risk and a prime factor contributing to deforestation and by extension climate change challenges. The repercussions would include lower precipitation, and declining soil fertility leading to low coffee yields and associated crops. Notably, poor management of inorganic and organic fertilizers (bio-slurry) from biogas has contributed to their soil being highly acidic leading to low coffee, maize, and beans yields. This has higher contributions to the loss of productive lands for coffee production and associated crops. Solutions towards mitigating these effects should address energy, integrated soil fertility management options, and scale-up these technologies to the affected coffee farmers. Technologies for alternative energy have been widely established, however, innovations that suit the needs of small-holder farmers are rare, since most of the options require heavy investment in material and labor. Recent innovations have focused on reducing the material cost of installation of alternative energy units as well as providing a source of organic fertilizer (bio-slurry) through the development of small-scale biogas installations. This project aimed to determine the efficiency of simple small-scale biogas technologies in the provision of rural energy and organic fertilizer within coffee and associated crops mixed farming communities. The project also sought to establish indices of having these technologies demonstrated and scaled up in feature in a Payment for Environmental Services (PES) market. A multi-disciplinary approach was employed in the implementation of the research project that entailed a survey of smallholder coffee farmers in Kiambu and Machakos to articulate energy and agronomic needs, installation of small-scale alternative energy units, testing the quality of gases as well as testing quality of bio-slurry from biogas digesters fed with different locally available substrates. Biodigester attributes were studied and evaluated for willingness to pay by farmers and indicated the relative importance of each attribute with reliability and biogas output being ranked the highest by farmers. The bio-digester technologies deployed were tubular and fixed dome, in which a challenge of Venting-loss of biogas through the overflow chamber- was observed. Bio-slurry testing on-farm indicated the potency of bio-slurry as a potent fertilizer for crop production. An opportunity for standardizing bio-slurry as a marketable product exists.
Phenotyping the Banana Biodiversity to Identify Climate Smart Varieties with Optimal Market Potential in Africa and Europe (CLISMABAN)
(2023) Ms. Mary Mwangi, Prof. Grace Wamue-Ngare
In Kenya, banana farming occupies 1.7 percent of the total arable land making it the most
important fruit crop. It is also ranked the third most important food after maize and rice and
the fourth produced after sugarcane, maize, and potatoes. Ironically, despite bananas being
widely grown, production falls way below the demand, making them expensive for
consumers. Diseases and pests, transmitted through infected suckers, comprise the most
important production constraint, which has far-reaching implications for most resource-poor
banana producers, in particular women. Low productivity is due to limited access to
improved, high-yielding varieties and diseases/pests. The Climate Smart Banana project
(CLISMABAN) aimed at addressing these gaps through participatory, gender-responsive
variety selection of high-yielding cooking banana hybrids (NARITAs) developed through a
collaboration between the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) Uganda and
the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), hence the acronym (NARITA). The
project objectives were to: improve the exploitation of the already existing and available
genetic resources of bananas, including newly developed elite hybrids and men and women’s
favorite accessions; Bridge the gender gap in new improved cooking banana varieties;
Strengthen and create partnerships between scientists and banana stakeholders (farmers,
consumers, Policy-government). Gender-integrated stakeholders comprising of county
administrators, Agricultural extension officers, farmers and traders were engaged throughout
the project cycle. The project involved stakeholder net mapping and awareness creation
through sensitization workshops, visits by various stakeholders to KU, gender training
workshops, Farmer Field Days, and the establishment of demonstration farms (2 in each of
the study Counties-Muranga, Embu and Kirinyaga). The team imported 25 accessions from the
IITA International Transit Center, Ibadan- Nigeria and multiplied them through Tissue Culture.
These accessions were tested for agronomic performance at KU research farms and
demonstration farms in the study sites. The evaluation entailed an assessment of agronomic
performance in the experimental farm at KU and demonstration farms in the counties over 2
production cycles. This was backed with participatory variety selection based on sensory
qualities (taste, aroma, color, texture, etc.). This culminated in the pre-selection of 7 NARITA
accessions (3,4, 6,7, 15,18, 23), all with a high potential for local adoption. Other outputs
included capacity building of stakeholders in gender integration, gender analysis and
responsive adoption, good agronomic practices and identification and management of pests
and diseases; establishment of a tissue culture laboratory at KU, and capacity building of 2
young technicians in TC technology. Gender training was deliberately incorporated into the
project to avoid the observable backlash that often comes with new scientific innovations
that are either gender, blind, or neutral. Observably, with a shift to commercial production in
a previously perceived women’s crop, studies have shown this opens the crop for men
subsequently altering the intra-household resource- allocation (time, land, labor, inputs, etc.)
as they struggle for space in a previously exclusive livelihood. A possible undesired outcome
is a gender-based violence as women fight for peace within the patriarchal resource allocation
dynamics in the household. Gender-responsive adoption, which addresses such dynamics,
becomes inevitable. Our sustainability plan is to continue the multi-location trials, as well as
gender training, collection of gender cisgender-blind aggregated data, analysis, and further
gender monitoring. We also hope to register the selected accessions for wider production. In
addition, there is potential to harness entrepreneurial opportunities in the banana value
chain, including value addition, and waste recycling for industrial products: biofuels and
biofertilizers. The aim is to create employment for men, women, and the youth while
contributing to the growth of a circular economy in Kenya and beyond.
Enhancing Productivity and Commercialization of Banana and Plantain for Food and Nutrition Security Through Development and Dissemination of Technologies
(2023) Gathambiri CW, Njuguna JK, Gitonga JK, Watani GW, Thuranira DM, Kuria SN, Mwangi Maina
Banana has been ranked first among all the fruits grown in Kenya. Four main types of bananas
are grown in Kenya and East Africa based on their utilization namely dessert, cooking,
roasting, and brewing. In 2020, the area under banana was 72,486 Ha with a total production
of 1.8 million tons valued at KES.29 billion. In Kenya, the potential of cooking banana
production has not been fully exploited except in parts of Nyanza where it is an important
staple food. KALRO has recognized the need to increase the genetic diversity of cooking
bananas and plantain in different regions to meet the requirements of the consumers and
enhance producers’ income and meet increased demand for cooking bananas and plantain in
urban areas.
Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization together with other partners aimed at
improving the production of cooking bananas and plantain for national food and nutrition
security and increase incomes. This was done through the identification of banana and
plantain varieties that can be introduced in different agroecological zones of Kenya, especially
the coastal region. Additionally, pest and disease control options and postharvest
technologies were validated. After validation of technologies, KALRO scientists together with
other partners disseminated banana and plantain technologies and avail of clean planting
materials to at least 1000 farmers and stakeholders in Nyeri and Kilifi County.
The scientists collected fifty-(56) six cooking bananas and plantain germplasm and planted
them at KALRO Horticultural Research Institute Kandara. Two evaluation trials have also been
established, one at KALRO Kandara for cooking varieties Nusu Ngombe, Kiguyu and Mogaka 1
and plantains Bokoboko, Mkono wa Tembo, and Kampala. The second evaluation trial is
KALRO Mtwapa for cooking varieties Ngombe, Gichagara, and Namunge, and plantain Gikono,
Kabuu, and Bokoboko. These were selected for suckering ability, stem size, plant height, and
days to maturity among considerations, while yield parameters included bunch weight,
number of hands, and fingers, finger length, and thickness. In addition, plantain banana
contains important minerals and vitamins which make them an excellent diet food source.
One of the main challenges in plantain bananas is the availability of planting materials. To
solve this problem tissue culture protocol was developed using the Boko Boko variety. The
protocol is being tested on other promising varieties like Mkono wa Tembo to ensure the
availability and accessibility of clean planting materials.
KALRO has also assisted farmers in Central and Coast regions to establish demonstration sites
at Nyeri and Kilifi for eight (8) cooking banana and two plantains varieties, two of which were
selected for commercialization. A total of 500 farmers have already been trained in
production, pest and disease control, postharvest technologies, and value addition. Banana
flour, banana crisps and chips from cooking bananas, and banana fritters and roasted banana
from plantain were some of the value-added products.
The goal of the project is to improve the nutritional status of citizens through the
consumption of plantain bananas and enhance producers’ income and meet increased
demand for cooking bananas and plantain in urban areas.
