Makueni farmers embrace indigenous crops to combat food insecurity

Amid scorching sun and inadequate water, women in Makueni County have found a new way to deal with food insecurity and malnutrition.

With the adoption of new technology, many farmers have in the recent past adopted hybrid crops and neglected the traditional crops. Hybrids and improved varieties often produce higher yields than traditional varieties, hence the preference.

This, however, has not stopped some small scale farmers from pursuing the cultivation of crops like pawpaws, cassava, sweet potatoes and cowpea leaves (kunde).

Jane Kyalo, a small scale farmer from Makueni County, narrates how growing Pawpaws enabled her to meet her family's needs.

"Pawpaws are rich in nutrients and what a lot of people do not realise is that their seeds are edible and contain vitamins," Kyalo said.

Kyalo has been planting pawpaw trees for more than ten years now.

She said that, unlike mango and orange trees that require close attention, pawpaw trees need little water and do not require as many pesticides.

"I am an 8-5 pm civil servant, which means that I have little time to attend to my garden. I am mostly tired when I get back home. I only need 30 minutes to an hour to water them, trim and spray pesticides," she said.

Kyalo noted that the pawpaws only take six months to mature and are a good remedy for constipation.

"It is difficult to ever find anyone in my family with stomach problems," Kyalo said.

Pawpaws, among fruit crops like mangoes, survive well in Makueni County, a region we'll know receives little rainfall.

Besides pawpaws, Jane grows sweet potatoes and cassava.

Cassava is rich in nutrients and calories, however, she says that they have to be consumed in moderation because too much of them can be harmful.

She added that they can be eaten whole, grated, or ground into flour to use in bread, porridge, cakes, ugali and crackers.

“Cassavas tend to thrive in dry places. All I have to do is dig, plant the stems and leave them. After some months, they're ready for consumption.”

They can also be used as chicken food.

With the rise in the economy and prices of household goods increasing, many families in the county do not have to worry over breakfast.

The sweet-tasting starchy cassava can be replaced for breakfast toast.

In addition, sweet potatoes are rich in antioxidants that protect the gut health and body from free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage DNA and trigger inflammation.

Beatrice Mbithi has been growing kunde, depending on the seasons. At times, she plants the vegetables in her kitchen garden.

Kundes are drought resilient and have a short harvest period. They have been used to prevent anaemia because they are rich in iron, among other minerals and vitamins.

According to Value, a food website, Kunde prevents insomnia, depression, PMS and anxiety, as they contain a chemical tryptophan.

Mbithi also grows oranges, which are a vitamin C source.

Farmers also sell these indigenous crops to earn a living.

“We use the money we get from selling the oranges and other crops to pay fees, buy household items and fare,” Mbithi said.

Makueni County is one of the counties affected by drought and malnutrition.

According to a study done in 2014, the Kenya Demographic Health Survey, the prevalence of stunting was 25.1 per cent, wasting was at 2.1 per cent and underweight was at 10.2 per cent.

According to a Makueni County report, in 2019, the county government received funding of Sh30 million from Nutrition International to battle malnutrition till 2023.

In the same year, the county also received Sh3.2 million to finance a mango and indigenous food festival.

“The overall objective of the food festival is to promote mango production and consumption of indigenous food in Makueni County,” Governor Kivutha Kibwana said.

In February 2022, Makueni Agriculture executive Nzioki King’ora said the county will soon start a campaign to educate farmers on the need to grow drought-tolerant crops.

“These crops had been abandoned by our farmers. We want to start a big campaign so that they can go back to planting crops like sorghum, millet and green grams. These crops are nutritious. I think our people abandoned them for lack of knowledge, skills and information," he said.

"We will develop a programme to address these issues and ensure farmers increase productivity in their farms and earn better incomes."