During Christmas festivities, a widow in a drought-prone, relief food-dependent village of Kilifi county did not have to worry about buying a goat to mark the occasion. Elizabeth Dama, in her mid-50s, was instead counting her blessings after adopting a lucrative crop (cow peas) and an efficient way to plant it (conservation farming).
From humble beginnings, the woman from Magarini subcounty has now gained international recognition for her efforts. Through conservation farming, she has turned an ASAL (Arid and Semi-Arid Lands) area into an agricultural cash cow.
Kilifi county is notorious for crop failure. Whenever drought hits, close to 500,000 people suffer, with 200,000 directly affected. To survive, many residents cut old indigenous trees to produce charcoal and timber. This further worsens droughts and slowly contributes to the area becoming a desert.
But Dama beat the odds to succeed as a farmer. Her venture began after her husband’s death in Gongoni. Relatives urged her remarry, with Mijikenda culture requiring she wed her husband’s brother. But she rejected the call and moved back to her matrimonial home in Ramada, Adu ward.
Once home, she embarked on the traditional maize farming. But just as with other local farmers, the venture failed. Despite her best efforts, it was difficult to make ends meet.
In 2015, Dama was invited for a training organised by the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation. The agency carried out one-week training on food security to equip locals with skills on conservation farming and planting climate-smart crops.
At the end of the training, Dama was given an allowance. She used it and the knowledge acquired to begin farming peas in a one-acre piece of farm in 2015 in the remote area of Adu in Magarini constituency. She harvested and sold the peas, earning Sh75,000.
REAPING THE REWARDS
In three years, Dama has bought three dairy cows and five goats, educated her children in secondary school, and saved some cash.
Her story is proof that traditional farming and outdated farming methods are the ones contributing to the food insecurity in ASAL areas, and if residents emulated her, lives would transform and hunger become a thing of the past.
Due to her efforts, Dama got an opportunity to make a presentation at the UN headquarters in Nairobi, in front of high-profile local and international personalities.
I recently toured her rural home in Adu to explore her success story in conservation farming. I found her clearing more land to increase the acreage from the initial one to seven. She showed me the goats and dairy cows bought after the first harvest.
“Before, I used to plough soil and plant maize. There was always crop failure, as the maize was usually ‘eaten’ by weeds. I never got good harvest,” Dama says.
Conservation farming, in comparison, is “not tiresome”. Nor does it require hiring a tractor to till the land. “You just slash your farm and plant using a panga,” she says.
Dama used to go to the chief’s office like other villagers to beg for relief food from the government. But what she got was too little to sustain her family, even for two days.
Today, she does not have time to ask for relief food again, as the income generated from the produce can comfortably sustain her and the children.
The mother of five thanks FAO for enlightening and empowering her with skills that are slowly transforming her life.
At the farm, Dama showed us other women who have formed a group and are helping her clear her seven-acre farm.
TURNING POINT
When Dama relocated to the matrimonial home, her father allowed her to utilise the 32-acre land with farming.
“In the first harvest, I got 750kg of cow peas. I went to a cereals’ shop in Malindi belonging to Mulwa Stores Limited. They bought them at Sh100 per kilo,” she said.
That was the turning point in her life. She immediately bought two goats, two cattle and named them after the FAO project.
“I am a widow but I have defeated those who have husbands but still practise traditional farming. I work hard alone to feed my family,” she says.
Dama says gone are the days when she believed it is only through planting maize that one can get sufficient food.
Her income from conservation farming enables her to buy flour and at times changes the diet to rice.
“People should begin planting drought-resistant crops, such as green grams, cassava millet, sorghum and groundnuts. The crops are food already. One can sell and get cash to buy wheat flour to make chapati,” she says.
Traditionally, elders in rural areas prefer ugali to any other meal.
Even if one is served a meal of, say, rice and beans, or rice and cow peas, they would never feel satisfied until a plate of ugali is in place.
“If the community embraces conservation farming, no one will sleep hungry or complain of famine,” she says.
During her free time, Dama takes part in trainings in schools and barazas to educate residents.
Her aim is to broaden the campaign to constituency and even county level to help other people who are still practising traditional farming methods.
Dama’s initiative has made her command respect in the society. Government officials always recognise her presence and give her a chance to address the public on conservation farming.
“I use nyumba kumi elders so that at least seven out of 10 households embrace this type of farming. Relief food cannot help people,” she says.
If it rains well, Dama expects to harvest over 30 bags, which will give her earnings amounting to Sh300,000. In future, she plans to buy a pick-up for farming activities.
Asked about the UN meeting, Dama says she managed to interact with many farmers from all over the country.
“I thought I was not the one. I never expected to reach such a level in life. I really felt happy,” she says.
With her little capital of less than Sh6,000, Dama will soon become a millionaire in the remote, drought-stricken Magarini.
Dama’s success shows how planting climate-smart crops using climate-smart methods like conservation agriculture can help eradicate famine and improve livelihoods.
DIVERSIFICATION CALL
FAO Kilifi project officer Babu Musa says Dama is among the beneficiaries of Conservation Agriculture Projects of 2015. These were funded by the EU and cover all of Kilifi’s subcounties.
He says 560 groups were trained on conservation agriculture farming and linked to credit facilities.
Musa says conservation farming has many advantages, including minimising soil disturbance. Here, the farmer touches the soil where he or she wants to plant.
“Conservation farming ensures permanent soil cover and easy-to-do crop rotation,” he says.
In the project, FAO introduced drought-resistant crops, such as green grams, sorghum and cow peas.
Such crops have a ready market and are the only way to address food insecurity.
When FAO celebrated 40 years of working in Kenya on On September 21 last year, Dama’s story featured prominently.
“Dama’s story is significant. Adu receives 350mm of rain, which is low compared to other areas that get up to 1200mm,” Musa says.
The FAO project coordinator says climate change is real, and adopting conservation agriculture will mitigate it.
He says growing green grams takes 60 days from the date of planting, while maize takes four months.
“Farmers should move away from growing maize. The area is dry. They need to plant crops that are drought-resistant,” Musa says.
He says crops like green grams have a market, for example Indians, and will always generate income to farmers.
COUNTY SUPPORT
The county government welcomes conservation farming and is making it a priority to help eliminate perennial droughts.
Baha Nguma, who was the Agriculture chief officer at the time of this interview, said the innovative technique was initiated in drought-stricken areas such as Magarini, Ganze, Malindi and Kaloleni, and it has already made an impact
Nguma, an agriculture expert, said when the county government came into place, it struck a deal with FAO to promote conservation farming.
“We started the programme with 14,000 farmers. The focus was how best we could utilise conservation agriculture,” he said.
The former Agriculture chief officer said the new technology helps reduce soil erosion and reduce levels of soil affected by drought.
“We train farmers mainly on the best farming methods and use of drought-tolerant crops, such as cow peas, sorghum and green grams,” he said.
He said they are now advocating minimum tillage and planting cover crops.
Traditionally, farmers mainly practised subsistence farming. Now the county government is keen to enhance production and increase profitability.
“We are taking farming to a different level through sustainable production,” Nguma said.
With proper practice of farming by embracing conservation agriculture, Kilifi may soon avoid depending on relief food.