Kunnen we de voordelen van geïntegreerd bodemvruchtbaarheidsbeheer voor landbouwers in de hooglanden van centraal Kenia verhogen door een verbetering van de watergebruiksefficiëntie en door betere commercialisatiestrategieën?

The central highlands of Kenya, which produce about 20% of the countrys maize, cover both areas with high potential for crop production on inherently fertile Nitisols, and areas with lower potential because of lower rainfall and/or less-fertile soils (Ferralsols, shallow, more sandy soils). A previous collaborative project between K.U.Leuven and Kenyatta University focused on the testing, adoption and adaptation of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) technologies, and established a strong framework for interaction between farmers, scientists, extension services and other stakeholders. However the deteriorating climatic patterns and the limits to access markets strongly hamper the adoption of the findings of this project. The current project aims to maximize the benefits of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) technologies in the maize-based systems in the project target areas by two complementary strategies: (i) developing and promoting production technologies that reduce water stresses under erratic rainfall, and (ii) developing and promoting marketing options that help farmers to get a higher income from their products. Under rainfed production without supplemental irrigation, the first strategy involves reducing runoff losses (water conservation) by surface management (tied ridges, mulching, improved soil cover, reduced tillage, terracing with live barriers), and using the infiltrated water more efficiently (water-use efficiency, WUE) by selection of adapted varieties, intercropping with drought-resistant grain legumes, better timing of planting and fertilizer application. The possible marketing options are identifying marketing opportunities for the grain legumes that are introduced through the ISFM technologies (cowpea, Cajanus cajan, soybean, lablab grains), the introduction of value-adding activities such as seed production or transformation activities (milling, food products derived from soybean), and the adoption of collective marketing, product grading and a strategy to sell at the right moment (covered by a warrantage system) guided by access to an agricultural market information system. The proposed project will focus on Meru South District, representative of the densily populated high-potential area, and Mbeeru district representative of the low-potential area.

Trefwoorden:agricultural markets, market information, water conservation, water use efficiency, integrated soil fertility management