Improved farming method to keep hunger at bay in Kwale

Hunger and poverty in Kwale county may soon be a thing of the past after residents expressed interest in embracing improved farming technology to boost yields and livelihoods.

The residents are expected to adopt the use of deep tillage that replaces the old, destructive and ineffective types of farming.

Deep tillage is a mode of farming that breaks compaction or the earth's hard pan by cutting channels and mixing to allow water to infiltrate and crop roots to grow deeper in the soil profile.

It comprises a jembe that is connected to a tractor, which can dig about seven inches deep more than the traditional ordinary jembes.

Kwale is among the counties that always experience erratic rains because of drought and climate change.

However, the deep ploughing will enable farmers to produce plenty of food even with the lowest rainfall at all times.

The new farming technology is being promoted by the Farm Inputs Promotion Africa Ltd (FIPS-Africa) in partnership with Kwale government, Seeds of Change and other partners.

According to Kwale FIPS-Africa project coordinator Alloys Masiga, deep tillage is very effective in combating the effects of climate change since it helps conserve the environment.

The technology causes little disturbance to the ground, topsoil, plants and surface residue, making it conducive for farming, especially in areas affected by poor rains.

Masiga said the programme is part of the efforts to quickly and cost-effectively improve the food security of smallholder farmers by enhancing their access to appropriate farm inputs and information on the best management of crops.

"Our research showed that poor farming methods are one of the major causes of food insecurity here in Kwale and, with deep tillage, we encourage the use of certified seeds and fertilisers for better yields," he said.

He said FIPS has developed an adequate extension model to promote adoptable options, to increase the productivity of a diverse range of crops to attain food security, nutrition and income for smallholder farmers.

Masiga said FIPs is trying to come up with new innovative ways of supporting farmers to improve food production, income and promote sustainable farming as they respond to various challenges affecting them.

He added that the deep tillage technology turns over a new leaf of farming in Kwale since it is less costly and environmentally friendly.

Masiga said the new farming method can make farmers produce more than 10 bags of maize in an acre of land.

Currently, the farmers are producing three bags of maize on an acre, according to him.

Masiga said in the first phase of the programme they target to reach 12,000 farmers and put more than 4,000 acres of land on farming through the deep tillage.

He, however, said about 17,000 smallholder farmers have been registered and received various training on modern farming.

He said each farmer will be receiving a subsidy of Sh1,000 in the first few weeks and later than that a subsidy of Sh500 as a way of promoting deep tillage farming.

FIPS-Africa is a non-profit organisation that started working in Kenya in 2003. Its main  goal is to support small-scale farmers to improve their livelihoods through farming.

Masiga said they have launched a three-day campaign to create awareness of deep tillage and clinics across Kwale county.

He said the farmers will be connected to village-based advisers who work closely with the organisation to provide guidance on registration procedures and access the deep tillage services and many other benefits.

County director of Agriculture Bernard Maitha said deep tillage farming is worth adopting because of its numerous benefits. He said ordinary jembes and ploughing using livestock is destructive and tiresome.

He added that deep tillage has a higher ability of helping in water retention, hence suitable in fighting climate change.

Maitha said plants can have enough water despite prolonged dry season, which is always the case in the region.

"The good thing with this type of technology is that water is not lost easily, and soil nutrients are conserved," he said.

Asia Hamisi, Jeza A village-based adviser and farmer, is a happy person as she looks forward to transforming her life through tillage farming.

She said they first started with Zai pits, a type of farming that involves digging pits in less permeable soil, to catch water and concentrate compost.

Hamisi said the deep tillage is better than the Zai pits because a tractor goes once and covers huge acres.

She said the deep tillage enables a farmer to plant immediately as ploughing continues, whereas in Zai pit or other methods, one has to go again with a jembe to plant.

Hamisi said yields are also high compared to the farming techniques.

She said in few years to come, life will not be the same again as she banks on the new farming technique to improve food security and living standards.

At the moment she is doing farming in an acre of land but is looking forward to expanding to five acres, thanks to the new technology.

"We are glad this type of farming will take us far. The harvests will be great and so will be our lives," she said.

She grows maize, vegetables and cereals for subsistence.

Hamisi said with deep tillage, her future is rosy as she hopes to upgrade to commercial farming.

A Tsimba Golini farmer, Mwakusema Abdallah, who grows grows maize vegetables, green grams, cowpeas and cassava, said he first tried the technology last year and the results were good.

He said the new farming method is easy and highly productive.