Small Holder Farmers (SHFs) who traditionally relied on seed companies for all their seeds are now bulking their own legume seeds for their farms. The seed bulking initiative is taking pressure off research institutions charged with breeding and multiplying the seed for farmers. It's also building up seed banks of orphan crops, many seed companies shy away from multiplying due to low financial returns. - In Western Kenya, the looming economic boom of Soya, Groundnuts and Cowpeas legumes has spurred more farmers who traditionally grew maize and beans to diversify. Through Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and research institutions, farmers are bulking seeds of these high value leg…

- Nairobi recently hosted around 200 agricultural stakeholders from over 20 African countries to audit the progress of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program Partnership Platform (CAADP PP). Organized by the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) the meeting themed “Accelerating CAADP implementation and impact” highlighted policy reforms and institutional development instituted at country level to aid agricultural growth. In this 8th CAADP held from May 3rd to 4th , meeting stakeholders both in private and public agricultural institutions sought to evaluate if African countries are on track to deliver on annual 6 percent increase in annual agricultur…

- For long among arable areas of Kenya, the Western region has long been viewed as a model of soil degradation characterized by low food crop production. On average a hectare there yields 0.5 tonnes of maize but can yield 6 tonnes if soils were well managed by replenishing them with vital nutrients. The problems according to the director of Soil Health at Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) Dr Bashir Jama are that soils are weathered, geologically old and low in organic matter. Soil barrenness and low yields are compounded by the mostly subsistence farmers in Western Kenya’s inability to afford quality seed, much needed fertilizer and suspicion to anyone who advises the…

- Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture is set to receive for the first time 10 million dollars in loan from OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) for a rural livelihood and economic enhancement project set to benefit 24,000 rural farming households. The loan will be administered by International Funding for Agricultural Development (IFAD) over a four to five year period through the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development. According to Khaled Al Zayer OFID’s officer in charge of the project the loan will help farmers produce, transport, store and better access processing and marketing systems in Malawi and raise their incomes. Besides the farmers, it will als…

- For long, around 10,000 small holder farmers of Teso South had to commute 20km to Busia town or 100km to Bungoma to get farm inputs during planting season. Sourcing of farm inputs was done by men as women were left preparing lands for planting while waiting for their husbands to bring them. In the local town of Asinge, there was no reliable agro-dealer prior to 2009. On many instances, men would return without inputs like seeds having squandered money on acts of debauchery and drinking in Busia or Bungoma joints. For women in Teso South area to salvage their planting seasons, they would reuse maize seeds harvested in previous seasons. The recycling of maize seed would lower yields a sea…

- Agricultural stakeholders from 11 African countries recently gathered in Nairobi, to assess the impact fertilizer subsidy programs (FSPs) have had on farming among the continent’s small holder farmers (SHFs) making up two thirds of farmers in Africa, since they began resurfacing in late 1990s. The workshop, organized by Food Agricultural Organization (FAO) had farmers’ unions, private input dealers, agricultural ministries and development bodies share knowledge, explore successes and propose solutions to challenges bedeviling FSP successful implementation in Africa. The workshop also examined if the program has been key to fighting food insecurity in Africa where it’s…