Agricultural production and food security implications of Covid-19 disruption on small-scale farmer households: Lessons from Kenya

A range of studies have highlighted the negative impacts of Covid-19 disruptions on incomes, food and nutrition security among rural agricultural communities in developing countries. However, knowledge of how such disruptions affect different categories of small-scale farmers in Sub-Sahara Africa is lacking. We used a mixed-method approach to collect data and determine the impacts of Covid-19 on farm input use, agricultural production, access to agricultural information services, and food security among small-scale farmers from Makueni, Nakuru, Siaya, Kakamega, and Bungoma counties in Kenya. A FAO-adapted farm household typology was developed with farm type 3 (wealthiest), farm type 2 (resource-constrained) and farm type 1 (most resource-constrained) farmer categories. Covid-19 related disruptions led to decreased use of improved seeds, fertilizers and access to extension services across the three farmer categories. Farm type 3 farmers recorded the lowest Covid-19 disruption driven reduction in the use of improved seeds and fertilizers, compared to farm type 2 and 1. Contrariwise, farmers increased manure application rates by 33%, with manure-associated expenditure rising by 129% across all counties. Average crop incomes decreased in three of the five study counties, i.e., Kakamega, Nakuru and Siaya, with the strongest decrease observed among farmers in type 1 and 2 households. A lower proportion of type 3 farmers were worried about not having enough food (43% of farmers) compared to type 1 (70%) and type 2 farmers (71%) across Counties. The sale of household assets and livestock commonly used as measures for household wealth implies that such disruptions leave vulnerable farmers poorer and hungrier. The findings propose that policy strategies are needed to recognize heterogenous Covid-19 effects and provide targeted interventions for household types most vulnerable to future disruptions of the agrifood system

Enhancing sustainable agri-food systems using multi-nutrient fertilizers in Kenyan smallholder farming systems

Persistent food insecurity in the global south has triggered calls for sustainable development worldwide. Moreover, more than a quarter of the world's population suffers from micronutrient deficiencies or hidden hunger. The population bulge, declining soil fertility and inadequate/inappropriate use of farm inputs in Sub-Saharan Africa place it in a precarious position. Multi-nutrient fertilizer blends have been mooted as a key innovation in closing yield gaps and boosting food and nutrition security. This study assessed the extent of multi-nutrient fertilizer blends utilization and yield response across agroecological zones and their on-farm profitability under Kenyan smallholder farmer conditions. We collected data through a detailed household survey conducted in eight counties in Kenya representative of high, medium, and low productivity zones using a sample of 1094 smallholder farmers. Multi-nutrient fertilizers increased maize yields significantly (P < 0.05), eliciting a 400% yield increase compared to the control and 108% greater maize yield than conventional fertilizers in the high potential zone. Conversely, at 3.7 t/ha conventional fertilizers elicited a significant (P < 0.05) yield response in Irish potatoes in the high potential areas. Multi-nutrient fertilizers increased on-farm profitability of crops, specifically for potato production systems where a benefit: cost ratio (BCR) of more than 2 was observed. Farmers may break even when they use multi-nutrient fertilizers on maize particularly in the low potential areas. Therefore, there is considerable potential for multi-nutrient fertilizers to increase crop productivity while being economically viable across agroecological zones and cropping systems. However, the uptake of multi-nutrient fertilizers among farmers is quite low across the country, except for small pockets where limited interventions have been carried out. This calls for sustained efforts to scale multi-nutrient fertilizers with a focus on clear messaging that stresses the need to apply appropriate rates of various nutrients including the secondary nutrients and micro-nutrients