Farmers urged to adopt climate smart seeds to combat climate change and boost yields

Catherine Wanjala plants maize seeds that are freshly coated with Kichawi Kill on her farm in Kakamega County, Western Kenya.FILE/Standard] Farmers in Western region have been urged to adopt drought-resistant or climate-smart seeds as a strategy to combat effects of climate change and boost yields. Speaking at Kibabii University during the Agribusiness expo and trade symposium themed, 'Climate smart technologies and practices for sustainable food systems', Eastern Africa Grains Council (EAGC) executive director Gerald Masila said that one of the exhibition features at the expo is solutions to climate change citing seed varieties that are drought resistant and well adapted to climate change conditions. "When you walk in our demonstration plots, you realise that there are plots that were starved off, but you can compare how they have faired with low water supply," he stated. He argues that from the seed variety to treating of the land in terms of how you do the agronomy and crop management, minimum tillage and conservation agriculture technologies. "We are also doing technologies that address climate change, like water harvesting solutions and how to minimise evapotranspiration through the use of technologies," he said. The official revealed that the organisation has partnered with universities in the county to establish demonstration plots where farmers and learners taking agricultural courses can walk in and learn on the new technologies aimed at boosting farm produce. Masila says that EAGC is a membership council of farms and organisations in the grain value chain. "Our association has members who are grain traders, warehouses and processors who use grain as raw materials, produce other raw materials such as beverages and others," he said. He noted that the aim of the expo is to help farmers get information on the best seeds to plant, pest and disease management and managing post-harvest losses. "On the demo plots here at Kibabii University, we are showing technologies and seeds that are resistant to drought that we encourage our farmers to buy and plant," he said. Masila added that the expo has opened up an opportunity for the farmers to learn about seed selection, soil preparation, fertilisation of the crop, protecting crops against pests, and post-harvest management. "With the climate change challenges, from here farmers would have known the type of seeds they can select for the agro-ecological regions, and when they want to buy those seeds, they are here in the exhibition arena," Masila said. In a bid to fight the climate change effects in the region, Eastern Africa Grains Council is partnering with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to restore the Mt Elgon ecosystem. He revealed that at Kibabii University Expo, they reached out to over 2,000 farmers. "Our mission is that at the end of this expo, farmers would come out with good knowledge of what seed to select and when they go out to their farmers they will know the right thing to do in improving their yields," he said. Masila maintained that agriculture plays a vital role in providing livelihoods to the farmers and everyone who is in the value chain. On the demo plots, Masila states that they are providing all available solutions, including organic and synthetic farming. "We have some of the demo plots here that are demonstrating organic farming where the fertilization is all organic fertilizer and other integrated pest management means. Both organic and conventional agriculture are all working well that even if you do 100 percent organic farming sometimes you may need to supplement the loss of certain nutrients by introducing some of the suitable synthetic fertilisers and micro-nutrients," said Masila. Felix Muchieka, a student at Kibabii university, applauded Eastern Africa Grains Council (EAGC) for partnering with the institution to hold an expo admitting that it has helped them learn on the new farming technologies and offering practical lessons. "Through this trade and agriculture expo, we have been able to learn farming technologies that can help in mitigating climate change effects," he said. He further encouraged young people to embrace farming, arguing that it is the only employment opportunity remaining. Margret Juma, a local farmer, said that the trade and agriculture expo has helped her learn on the new farming technologies and seed selection saying he used to harvest one sack of maize on one acre of land. "I have been able to acquire a lot from this trade and agriculture expo, before I used to harvest one sack of maize from an acre of land, but I have learnt new farming technologies and seed selection that can boost yields," she affirmed. Juma revealed that she has been using traditional seeds that let her down. "Before, I used to select seeds from what I harvest and store for the next planting season but from the knowledge I have gained here, I will be buying seeds from certified companies and shops for better performance and those that are drought resistant," she added. The expo showcased a wide range of innovations and practical solutions for farmers and agribusiness actors. Highlights included crop demonstrations, post-harvest technologies, value addition innovations, agri- machinery displays, livestock technologies, and interactive B2B forums where service providers and farmers connected directly. Exhibitors presented solutions ranging from climate smart seeds and precision agriculture tools to digital platforms for input supply, aggregation and structured grain marketing.

Farmers urged to adopt climate smart seeds to combat climate change and boost yields

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