Joseph
Oduor a farmer from South Alego location in Siaya County in Western
Kenya is a constantly disappointed man. Poor yields from farming maize
over the years have demotivated him. His biggest challenge as with many
other farmers in the region is pests and diseases that reduce yields
during harvest.
According to statistics from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), maize
accounts for 30−50% of low-income household expenditures in eastern and
Southern Africa and 85% of its production is used as food.
Joseph
cannot afford to buy certified maize seeds. At Kshs. 300 (equivalent to
USD 4) on average for a kilogram of certified seed, buying certified
seed is prohibitive for smallholder farmers who have to do with less
than USD 1.25 a day.
This
also applies to use of pesticides, which for farmers like Joseph would
mean digging deeper into their pockets for their already constrained
resources. Pesticide use also creates further problems like health
complications as not many smallholder farmers can afford the protective
gear required and negative impact on the environment.
Joseph
has to do with recycled maize seeds from previous harvests or seed
borrowed from his fellow farmers. Traditionally in sub-Saharan Africa,
up to 90% of smallholder farmers use recycled seeds. Due to poor storage
practices farmers fail to get expected results.
Bio-Innovate’s project 7 on “Bio-enhanced seeds” is
developing technologies for producing seeds and seedlings bio-enhanced
with bio-control agents to reduce the impact of biotic and abiotic
production constraints in crops, with the focus being to benefit
resource-poor farmers. Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and
Technology (JKUAT) working with Real IPM a
private company are implementing the project. The biological controls
or bio-pesticides are bacterial or fungal microorganisms that naturally
control specific pests and diseases. In the case of this innovation,
the bio-pesticides are
produced and distributed in powder form with usage instructions. The
famer produces a solution by mixing the powder with water which he or
she coats the seeds prior to planting. The advantage of bio-pesticides
over conventional inorganic pesticides is that they are less toxic, are
pest specific, and decompose quickly.
Reduced
pests and diseases translate to improved yields from the farms. In
addition, certain bio-pesticides have proven to have properties that
increase yields by improving the plants ability to burrow deeper for
water and nutrients, a useful trait particularly in drought conditions.
Collins Wanyama
the representative of Real IPM in Nyanza in Western Kenya has been in
the heart of engaging farmers in the bio-pesticide on-farm trial runs.
From his experience, farmers are very passionate about their work.
However, they tend to stick to old practices some of which may be in
variance with recommended crop management e.g. recycling seeds. The team
has therefore found ways of injecting new ideas but cognizant of the
tradition and habits of smallholder famers.
“The
bio-pesticide solutions are highly scientific and explaining how they
work is a challenge for field officers working with the farmers,”
Collins added. “Also running field trials in the open farms and not in
controlled environments like in greenhouses has proven to be daunting”.
In
addition, there are the lengthy legislation procedures that need to be
followed before the bio-pesticides can be commercialized. With all these
challenges, Real IPM has a lot of ground to cover before the
bio-pesticide can be available to all farmers who would need it.
In
Mundika sub-location in Busia County, Lennox Barasa another maize
farmer has been participating in the Real IPM field trials. So far he
has participated in three trials, which according to him “offers an
affordable alternative to use of pesticides in farming maize.”
The
Bio-Innovate Program is happy with the progress thus far. The
collaboration between JKUAT and Real IPM has been rewarding. The team is
also looking to apply this innovation to tomato and eggplant seeds,
which are popular horticultural choices in the current project phase.
Source: Bioinnovate-africa
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