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Item CAPACITY BUILDING FOR JOB CREATION AND GROWTH OF LEATHER GOODS AND FOOTWEAR MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES IN KENYA(2025-11-19) DR. PAUL TANUIGoal: The goal of this project is to provide a structured way of upgrading the skills of the players involved in the production of leather goods and footwear in Kenya. Specific objectives: To conduct baseline survey on the status of production and capacity gaps of leather goods and footwear by MSMEs in Kenya. To provide a structured training to youth and women-based MSMEs involved in the production of leather goods and footwear from selected counties in Kenya. To promote learning culture among the players involved in the production of leather goods and footwear in Kenya.Item 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.Publication Effects of camel feed supplementation on milk yields and composition during early pregnancy period(AJSTSS, 2022-09-26) Thiakunu, F.K1; Njehia, K.B2; Nguhiu, P.N2 and Arimi, Joshua M1A study was conducted between January and March 2022 which was the camel mating season at Ngaremara ward of Isiolo County. The objective was to determine the effect of feed supplementation on milk yield and composition in early pregnancy. It is documented that camels in pastoral environment drop milk production immediately after conception. There is limited information in literature on effects of supplementation on milk production at this stage. A complete randomized design was used to select ten camels which were supplemented with a formulated concentrate supplement made of locally available materials and ten unsupplemented which was the control. All camels were dewormed at the beginning of the study. Formulated feeds were gradually introduced to ten camels by adding 1 kg daily and enticing them with green acacia pods for 2 weeks until all supplemented were able to feed 3.5 kgs in the evening after grazing. Mating took place naturally using a bull between 6th January and 15th February 2022 and one supplemented and two unsupplemented camels were not mated. Milking was done in the mornings after allowing the calves to stimulate the teats for the milk letdown reflex. Production of milk in litres was recorded daily and total production per camel tabulated on weekly basis. Milk samples were taken every week and analyzed for protein and fat levels. Statistical data analysis for milk yields was done by comparing weekly means using ANOVA with the help of SPSS. Mean weekly milk yields per camel in litres for the supplemented and unsupplemented was 8.6067 ± 0.23691 and 8.0797±0.26185 respectively. There was a consistent increase in milk production for the supplemented camels with a significant increase of 1.63 litres at week 3 (P<0.05). The un-supplemented camels had a consistent drop of milk production which was more significant (P<0.05) at week 5 and 7. Supplemented camels milk had percentage increase in fat content of 3.470 ±0.0300 compared to 3.157±0.0228 for the un-supplemented. The supplemented camels were mated earlier than the unsupplemented. Six supplemented and five un-supplemented were confirmed pregnant through the indigenous knowledge method of cocking the tail (kutoa mkia) when the male or a person approaches. The study concludes that feed supplementation can positively affect the lactation curve and fertility in camels. It is recommended that camels be supplemented with feed formulations made from locally available materials at around the time of mating to improve production and reproduction. Further studies are recommended to determine the effect of pregnancy on milk yields and composition.Publication Enhancing public health awareness on food safety risks associated with livestock feeding practices in the peri urban slums of Kisumu city, Kenya.(2023) PROF. CHARLES MULEKE INYAGWA, PHDPUBLICATION 1 Livestock feeding practices present food safety concerns to consurmners who are aware of food safety and their linkage to feeding practices. Domesticated animals kept in the peri-urban territories often feed on waste dump feeds and polluted waters. Consequently, animal feeds could be contaminated with potentially toxic metals and diseases which may lead to death and economic losses in lost trade opportunities. Objective of this study was to determine the risk factors assoctated with vestock feeding and disease control practices in the peri-urban slums of Kisurme City, Kenya. This was achieved through identifiing. characterizing and disseminating peri-urban livestock feeding practices and constraints, and their effects on food safety as well as general well-being of Hvestock. Primary: data was collected from 291 randomly selected smallholder hvestock farmers in the peri-urban slums of the City by use of semi-structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics inform of cross tabulations, means and frequencies were used to characterize peri-urban livestock feeding and disease control practices. The results revealed that 589 of the county residents were male while 2 96 were female. Their ages ranged between 18 and SOvears with a mean age of 55. Majority (749%) praocticed both livestock and crop production while 26% kept livestock only. The farmers mainly kept indigenous cattie (9796 ) as opposed to exotic (396.). The prevalent livestock farming systerm was free range (939%) where most farmers grazed their lvestock on open wnutilized spaces and dwmp sites. Animals were kept for consumption (629%) and for income generation (329). The main production constraints identified by farmers were diseases (65%) and lack of feed (209%). The diseases varied with region and animal species which included tick-borne diseases (5396) and foot and mouth (159%). Farmers obtained information on management and treatment of lvestock largely from private veterinarians (649). There is need to . create policies on peri-urban stum livestock keeping practices, and waste management to reduce the risks assoctaced N weith livestock feeding and diseases in Kisuma city. )23Item Horticulture Research Centre: Kibos(2025-06-24) Timon K. Moi - Centre DirectorUndertake research in all aspects of production, management, postharvest and value addition of Horticultural, Food & Industrial crops. The outputs from research activities implemented are to support the national Horticultural, Food & Industrial crops industry. The research programmes respond to sector specific value chains in cotton, rice, fruits, vegetables, roots & tubers, millets, sorghum and other horticultural crops (medicinal plants).Item "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 NwogwugwuCoffee 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.Item Upscaling African Indigenous Vegetables Climate Smart Technologies for Food & Nutrition security in Kenya(2025-11-27) Prof Mary Abukutsa-Onyango, Prof Anselimo Makokha, Dr Eucabeth Majiwa, Mr Patrick Amunavi, Ms Joyce Liti Njenga, Mr James Shikwati, Ms. Esperance Chesoli, Mr Muchiri Nyaggah, and Dr Anne AswaniGoal: To contribute to achieving food and nutrition security in the context of climate change challenges facing Kenya by promoting the sustainable production, commercialization and utilization of African Indigenous Vegetables (AIVs). Overall Objective: To upscale the production, preservation and utilization technologies of African indigenous vegetables for food and nutrition Security in Kenya.