Adoption dynamics of tithonia diversifolia for soil fertility management in pilot

This paper presents the results of a study that was undertaken to assess adoption dynamics of Tithonia diversifolia in Siaya and Vihiga districts of western Kenya from 1997 to 2004. The study was undertaken among a random sample of 120 farmers from eight pilot villages exposed to the technology. Descriptive statistics and a logit regression model were used to analyse data. The findings show that more farmers in pilot villages of Siaya are taking up the use of Tithonia than in Vihiga. As of 2004, 52% of farmers in Siaya were adopters compared to only 8% in Vihiga. Results of the logit regression model show that the use of Tithonia biomass for soil fertility management (SFM) is more likely to be adopted in a context where there is a scarcity of animal manure, farmers are willing to plant it on farms and hire casual labour. The use of Tithonia by smallholder farmers for SFM is therefore a promising low-cost option that can be scaled up to areas where farmers face similar constraints

Priority Tree Fodder Species in the Maasai Silvopastoral System of Kajiado District, Kenya

In an effort to improve pastoral land management systems, donor agencies have spent millions of dollars over the last two decades on research and development programmes. However, most of these programmes have been unsuccessful. The reasons for the failure are increasingly clear. Current thinking argues that more attention needs to be given to local knowledge systems and rural people\u27s participation in development planning and implementation. The involvement of local communities in the research process is critical and has been shown by Ego (2001) to lead to the design of appropriate interventions. The main objective of this study was to elicit pastoralists indigenous knowledge on priority fodder species and the criteria used in evaluation

Farmers Teaching Farmers: What Motivates Volunteer Farm Trainers?

This paper assesses the motivation behind the decisions of smallholder farmers to volunteer as farmer trainers despite the fact that they are not paid for their services. Volunteer farmer trainers (VFTs) are trained in livestock feeds and feeding methods by extension officers. They in turn train other farmers within their community without pay but receive training and seeds for setting up demonstration plots. Data collection was through a combination of focus group discussions and individual interviews with 99 VFTs from seven East Africa Dairy Development (EADD) sites in central and Rift Valley regions of Kenya. Findings of the study showed that VFTs were motivated by altruism, gaining knowledge/skills, social benefits, financial benefits and increased demand for training from farmers. Financial benefits were not only from sale of seed, seedlings, planting material but also VFTs have diversified into other business opportunities such as charging for services which include silage making, hay baling , training, ear tagging, chaff cutter hire and dehorning. The findings point to the fact that investments in human, social and financial capital are crucial to keeping VFTs motivated. These factors are key to ensuring the sustainability of farmer-to-farmer extension programs beyond project lifespans

Gender, agroforestry and food security in Africa

This paper reviews agroforestry's contribution to food security from a gender perspective. Emphasis is placed on women's contribution relative to men and the challenges they face. Agroforestry practices examined include fodder shrubs, ‘fertilizer trees’ and indigenous fruit trees. In examining the practices, we highlight women's and men's involvement in management, utilization and marketing of agroforestry products. The review shows that agroforestry makes a substantial contribution to food security. Furthermore, women are as actively involved as men; however, their level of participation and benefits are constrained by cultural norms and lack of resources. For women to benefit fully from agroforestry and hence contribute to food security, various policies, technological and institutional interventions are recommended

Involvement of Maasai Pastoralists in Participatory Rangeland Management Planning and Implementation

The pastoral Maasai lifestyle was and still is traditionally based on subsistence dairy and meat production. But with population increase, the rangelands can no longer sustainably support livestock production systems. Most of the rangelands which are used for grazing have been subdivided and partially cleared to pave way for cultivation, because of increased population pressure (Ego et al., 1999). This has led to a tendency to overgraze, thus impacting negatively on secondary production from the range. In order to effectively reverse this trend, the users of the rangeland resources were brought together to analyse constraints and opportunities for sustainable use, so that they could develop action plans for the improvement of the rangelands

The farmer trainers approach in technology dissemination in Uganda: Farmer trainers’ and trainees’ perspectives.

This working paper presents the results of the first phase of a study that aims to determine the effectiveness of the farmer trainers approach in the dissemination of feed technologies in the East Africa Dairy Development Project (EADD). The starting point of this study is in the recognition that public sector extension services are no longer able to provide small scale farmers with adequate extension services. As a result, new approaches and mechanisms are being developed to fill the gap. One such approach that is being used by the EADD project is the volunteer farmer trainers approach. It is a form of farmer-to farmer extension where farmers host demonstration plots and take centre stage in information sharing. Although this approach has been in use in the EADD project since its inception in 2008, not much is understood about its effectiveness. A study was therefore initiated to assess its effectiveness. The study was organised into three phases. The first phase, which is the subject of this report, is an exploratory informal survey to collect qualitative data from both the trainers and trainees to be used in formulating hypothesis for more in depth formal surveys in the next phases. Group discussions were held in three sites of the EADD project in three districts, namely Jinja, Mukono and Mityana to get the perceptions of farmer trainers and trainees on the effectiveness of the approach. Farmer trainers have served an average of 15.6 months and train an average of 5 trainees per month. Most of them undertake their activities by foot and a few use their own bicycles. Farmer trainers use various means of mobilizing farmers for their training sessions. Training sessions are normally held at trading centres, local county halls, demonstration sites and homesteads of trainees and trainers. Farmer trainers are motivated by the desire to gain more knowledge/skills, improve their own livelihoods and those of other farmers in the community and becoming popular among other factors. Some of the costs that farmer trainers incur are: transport, time and bicycle maintenance. Benefits received range from gaining knowledge and skills, popularity, increasing social networks to satisfaction. Challenges faced include transport, lack of training materials and family conflicts involving some farmer trainees and their spouses. Some of the low-cost opportunities for improving the approach include provision of training materials (manila paper, marker pen, sample seeds) and certification of farmer trainers. If resources are available, bicycles would help improve performance. Farmer trainers are an important source of information to farmers. Rating of topics taught by trainers was mixed with some topics being rated highly in terms of relevance, understanding and ease of use while others were rated low. On technology uptake by farmer trainees, the highest uptake was for Napier (Elephant) grass and pasture improvement (50%), followed by calliandra (47%). Other technologies such as silage, hay, lablab, leuceana and setaria had less than 30% uptake

Achieving mitigation and adaptation to climate change through sustainable agroforestry practices in Africa

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