• The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation has initiated a training-of-trainers programme.
• 41 trainers are participating, comprising 13 lead farmers and 28 technical/extension officers and service providers.
Image: JOHN NALIANYA
The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation has initiated a training of trainers programme for counties implementing the climate-smart project.
Those trained will in turn train county extension staff and service providers o ensure the success of the Kenya Climate-Smart Agricultural Productivity. The three counties under the initiative are Kisumu, Busia and Lamu.
The counties selected cassava as a priority value chain to reduce poverty through increased incomes and food and nutritional security, especially for women, children, the youth and vulnerable groups.
In the workshop, 41 trainers are participating, comprising 13 lead farmers and 28 technical/extension officers and service providers. Some ToTs from Lamu had earlier been trained.
Speaking to the press, Kalro director General Eliud Kireger said the cassava value chain (CVC) training being conducted at ATC Mabanga in Kabuchai constituency, Bungoma, is one among many others in which the organisation is training trainers in knowledge and skills to facilitate increased productivity.
"The training being undertaken through Kenya Climate-Smart Agriculture Project (KSCAP), with funding from the World Bank and the Kenyan government, is expected to have ripple benefits on cassava productivity in this country," he said.
Kireger said direct beneficiaries of the project are estimated at 521,500 households of smallholder farmers, agro-pastoralists and pastoralists.
"Approximately 163,350 households organised in about 4,950 Common Interest Groups and 18,150 households in 1,100 Vulnerable and Marginalised Groups will benefit from community Climate-Smart Agriculture micro-projects," he said.
Kireger added that cassava is the world’s most widely grown starch storage root crop, accounts for a third of the total production of staple food crops in Sub-Saharan Africa and is the most resilient to climate change among all major African crops.
"It is an important source of dietary energy for over 500 million people in developing countries," he said
Kireger said that in Kenya, production levels are estimated at 83,486 hectares, with an annual production of 1,481,518 tonnes.
"At a price of Sh15 per kg, this translates into Sh22.2 billion per year," he said.
The director said the agricultural sector risk assessment report in 2015 indicated that the per capita cassava consumption in Kenya was 99kg/person/year.
"Analysis of cassava demand in 2017 reported a higher per capita consumption of 115k/person/year. Based on the latest population census report showing the Kenyan population of 46 million, then about 4.6–5.3 million tonnes of cassava is required per year in Kenya, indicating a deficit," he said.
Kireger said cassava is also the third most important food and cash crop in Kenya whose potential has not been fully utilised, yet it supports the livelihoods of more than 2.5 million people.
"The crop is an important source of dietary energy, grown mainly for its tuberous roots as food and is eaten raw, after boiling, or processed," he said, adding that the roots are peeled, sun-dried and milled into flour for better storage.
"Flour is used to make porridge, ugali, local brews or mixed with wheat flour for home baking, while cassava leaves are used as vegetable among many communities and as animal feed."
The director added that as a cash crop, the tuberous roots are raw materials for animal feed, pharmaceutical substrates, textile, starch, beer brewing, confectionaries and bio-fuel industries.
"Cassava tuberous roots contain about 40% carbohydrate and are an important source of dietary energy while the leaves contain about 10% protein, are rich in minerals, vitamins and essential amino acids like methionine," he said.
Kriger said the inherent qualities have made cassava to be identified by the African Union and Nepad as an important food security crop and declared among crops able to withstand adverse effects of climate.
"We believe that cassava is key in the attainment of Kenya’s Vision 2030 and the government Big Four agenda pillar on food and nutritional security," he said.
He further stated that recently, the government adopted a policy, proposed draft for flour blending regulations of 2018, on flour blending.
"Cassava has been proposed and will be used together with maize or wheat as a recommended choice for blending and production of highly nutritious composite flour," he said.
The director noted that cassava value chain sub-sector employs 30 per cent of the population indirectly and directly.
"Some of the leading cassava production counties are; Busia with a production of 256,180 tonnes valued at Sh5,123.59, Kilifi 107,186 tonnes valued at Sh2,143.72 followed by Migori 107,186 tonnes valued at Sh1,593.03," he said.
Kriger said the 2012-18 statistics show that cassava production in Kenya has been on a decline by 44 per cent due to several constraints facing the subsector, a trend that needs to be reversed.
"The decline may be attributed to lack of high yielding varieties, damages due to cassava brown streak disease, and cassava mosaic disease, poor agronomic practices, post-harvest losses and poor storage methods, lack of value addition and product development and lack of reliable market, "he said.
He observed that the development and dissemination of cassava climate-smart technologies, innovation and management practices would efficiently reverse the declining productivity.
"The training in Bungoma focuses on climate-smart agriculture in relation to cassava, variety selection, cassava seed system, agronomic management practices, cassava crop health, post-harvest management and value addition among others," he said.