How Kenyan farmers are using climate-smart tech approaches

Many have had to look for climate-smart technologies that can help cope with climate shocks.

The Africa Climate Summit enters the second day but most Kenyan farmers are going about their daily routine oblivious of the discussion happening at the summit.

To bring the ACS discussions closer to the farmers, the Star looks at some of the technologies that researchers and organisations have developed to build farmers’ resilience in absorbing the shocks and stresses of climate change.

Climate-smart agriculture is one of the key things that is being discussed at the summit by the UN food agency, Food and Agriculture Organization

According to FAO, the approach helps guide actions to transform agri-food systems towards green and climate-resilient practices.

CSA aims to sustainably increase agricultural productivity and incomes, as well as adapt and build resilience to climate change. In addition to reducing and/or removing greenhouse gas emission.

Some of the climate-smart technologies that have been developed by researchers from the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation include high quality animal breed that can do well under stressed conditions.

There are also drought-resistant crops, fodder that can be grown in dry areas and online weather apps that farmers can use to get real time weather information using their mobile phones, among others.

Here are a few of the climate-smart technologies:

Feedlot technology to boost quality of dorper sheep

Kalro has developed a fattening feedlot technology that livestock keepers can use for the Dorper sheep.

Feedlot is a system or area where animals are fed or fattened up.

Livestock keeping using traditional systems has become challenging due to climate change, urbanisation and insecurity.

The feedlot system will be a game changer for farmers or pastoralists who are interested in fattening sheep, especially the Dorper sheep.

Dorper is a sheep that has been developed in South Africa and it is well adapted in Kenya. It is a high breed of the Dorset Horn sheep and the local black head Persian.

Researchers say the system saves on time, space and other resources required under conventional systems. The feedlot system will also help increase productivity and sustain production in the livestock sector.

The rearing period from birth to marketing of Dorper sheep will now be shortened from three years to 6.5 months. This will in return increase the rate of returns and farm enterprise profitability.

The superior Sahiwal cattle

Researchers work to restock superior breeds of Sahiwal cattle among Kenyan farmers.

Last year, the government through National Research Fund funded Kalro in a three-year programme to restock superior breeds of Sahiwal for the Maasai community in Transmara South, Narok county.

This was through a community-based genetic improvement and multiplication programme after it became apparent that the country is on the verge of losing the breed.

The move is expected to increase Sahiwal cattle resilience which will translate to higher production, with surplus for sale and farmers enabled to secure their food and nutrition security.

Kalro says production of the Sahiwal cattle is affected by several challenges, including acute unavailability of quality climate-resilient breeding stock, inbreeding which leads to loss of genetic diversity and low productivity.

Researchers are racing against time to address the challenge of access to superior Sahiwal genetics (semen, heifers, bulls) in Kenya.

Kenya, and by extension Kalro, is one of the leading world’s custodian of Sahiwal, a dual-purpose (meat and milk) breed, which is highly tolerant to semi-arid and arid conditions. 

Currently, accessing the right Sahiwal heifers and bulls at affordable prices has been the worst nightmare for many farmers, especially Maasai pastoralists across the country who heavily rely on Sahiwal genetic resources for their livelihood.

Online weather platform

Kalro and the World Bank launched the pilot Kenya Agricultural Observatory Platform.

The online platform enables agricultural institutions and farmers access to high resolution geospatial agro-meteorological data to optimise their decision making.

The observatory platform is the first of its kind in Africa, and will be replicated in other countries in Africa upon its success.

Kalro and Kenya Meteorological Department are responsible for piloting and implementing the KCSAP to support agro-weather, market, climate and advisory services.

The platform will generate and provide digital meteorological information using modern ICT tools.

The Agricultural Observatory Platform aggregates field and farm level data into mappable (GIS ready) information that provide insight into addressing a host of challenges, for example where it rained, where crops fail and how many people were impacted.

New KALRO improved chicken

The new KALRO improved KC3 breed is an upgrade of KC1 and KC2 chicken. The superior indigenous chicken breed is highly resistant to common diseases.

The new breed-KC3 variant is disease-resistant, requires less feed and lays more eggs per year.

KC3 is brown in colour and comes after two other improved variants - KC1 which is spotted and KC2 which is black in colour - that were launched in 2019.

According to Kalro director-general Eliud Kireger, like the other two breeds, KC3 is well adapted to tropical climatic conditions of almost all counties in the country.

The new improved indigenous chicken is expected to boost egg production from 80-100 to between 220-280 eggs per chicken annually.

He said the unique characteristics of the new breed are that they produce up to 250 eggs in a year, starting laying at five months.

The weight of an egg could be up to 60 grammes, while the chicken could be 2kg in only five months.

Drought and disease-tolerant crop varieties

The plant breeders in various institutions and organisations with support from development partners have developed different crop varieties that are drought and disease-tolerant.

Scientists have noted an increase in new emerging pests and diseases due to climate change.

The latest development has forced researchers to reorganise their breeding programmes to address the current challenges.

Through the Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture project, various new technologies, innovations and management practices have been developed in eight value chains.

The value chains include banana, cassava, green grams, pigeon pea, potato, sorghum, tomato and millet.

This hopes to increase productivity, adaptation of farming households and mitigation against climate change.

E-surveillance app for livestock diseases

Scientists from the International Livestock Research Institute in collaboration with the directorates of veterinary services have developed an app for livestock disease surveillance. 

The mobile app helps in collecting and analysing disease surveillance data in northern Kenya counties of Garissa, Isiolo, Marsabit, Turkana and Wajir.

Tezira Lore, a food scientist and communication specialist at ILRI, says the smartphone app has greatly improved the process of collecting and analysing disease surveillance data the region, where livestock keeping is a key source of income and livelihood.

The LivHealth e-surveillance app has facilitated the recording of symptoms of livestock diseases by community disease reporters.

The app also enables quick and accurate documentation of disease syndromes, as well as confirmed disease outbreaks within the communities.

Syndromic disease surveillance involves identifying specific disease patterns and signs, or groups thereof, and analysing this information within the context of a specific environment and time period.

Lore says previously, information on livestock disease outbreaks in these counties was mainly collected and passed on by word of mouth. This was a lengthy and often unreliable method of transmitting disease information to the veterinary authorities.

The community disease reporters use the app to capture and upload data on the disease symptoms, the sick animal and its location to an online server.

A field veterinarian then reviews the data, diagnoses the disease and is then able to target the appropriate response intervention.

Such timely and accurate transmission of livestock disease data has led to a more efficient and data-informed approach to disease prevention and control.