Reformed bandits venture into lucrative green gram farming

**Isaiah Lokoita harvesting green grams at his farm in Lomut, West Pokot.** [Irissheel Shanzu, Standard]

It is midday in Lomut, West Pokot County, and local resident Isaiah Lokoita has joined a group of other men to clear thickets, preparing the farm to plant green grams.

Lokoita says the men, including himself, are reformed bandits who abandoned cattle rustling and ventured into green gram farming, which has offered them a stable income.

“I have witnessed my agemates abandon the gun for farming. The government should empower them so that they cannot go back to cattle rustling,” says Lokoita.

For many years, herders living along the border of Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot counties have grappled with banditry, which had left many lives lost and homes deserted.

However, in recent years, the areas have witnessed a green gram revolution, thanks to the Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP), an initiative which introduced green gram farming in the area as an alternative source of income.

As a result, many residents have turned from rearing cattle and decided to venture into green gram farming, which they say is more lucrative.

According to Benson Kisiwa, chairman of Lomut green gram farmers group, the green grams mature quickly and are often ready to harvest within three short months, thus enabling farmers to earn regular income.

Kiswa says he harvested more than 30 bags in his two-acre farm, which he sold for Sh108,000. Kisiwa intends to cultivate more acreage in the coming planting season.

“I also have another farm where I expect to get more than Sh80,000, but because of the prevailing drought we will not be able to get more than Sh100,000,” he says.

Kisiwa notes that KCSAP chipped in and supported farmers by giving them certified seeds and they have reaped big returns from the cash crop.

“They gave us fertilizers and insecticides. Currently we are struggling to get a market for our produce because we don’t have a ready market,” he says.

Besides market, the farmers are also grappling with animals which invade their farms in search for food.

“Birds, goats, cows, and elephants invade our farms, forcing us to sleep in our farms guarding our crops overnight. We also lack water to irrigate our farms, which is also a major challenge,” he said.

KCSAP coordinator, Phillip Tingaa, said 84 per cent of West Pokot is semi-arid, and the project was viable in the area because green grams thrive in regions with little rainfall.

“Green grams are drought tolerant and will open more opportunities for investment if fully embraced,” he explained.

Tingaa added that they have supplied seeds to farmers in Lomut ward and are venturing into other areas in the county.

He said the organisation's focus is to sensitise reformed warriors to create groups so that the KCSAP office can give them free seeds and fertilizer for them to get a better, more sustainable source of income.

“In a place where insecurity and banditry is the order of the day, I would wish to change the mindset of the people that cash crop farming can earn more,” said Tingaa.