Farmers in the Western region have been urged to embrace climate-smart farming practices, including the use of drought-tolerant seeds, modern agricultural technologies and improved soil management techniques, to mitigate the effects of climate change, improve crop yields and strengthen food security amid increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.
The call comes amid reports of significant crop losses following prolonged dry spells and changing rainfall patterns that have disrupted agricultural production in the region, threatening farmers’ incomes and food supplies.
Speaking at Kibabii University during the media launch of the North Rift and Western Region Agribusiness Expo, Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC) chief executive officer Gerald Musila said the organization had established demonstration farms at the university to help farmers learn and adopt climate-smart agricultural practices.
The expo, scheduled for October 29 at Kibabii University, will be held under the theme Climate-Smart Technologies and Practices for Sustainable Food Systems.
Musila said the demonstration plots provide a practical learning platform where farmers, students and other agricultural stakeholders can explore technologies and farming methods designed to improve productivity under changing climatic conditions.
“On these demonstration plots, we have seeds that are climate-adapted and are able to perform even if the rains do not come as expected,” he said.
He added that the plots also showcase other agricultural innovations and practices, including conical gardens, intercropping and improved soil preparation techniques, which can help farmers’, maximize production while adapting to changing weather conditions.
Musila said adopting such practices was increasingly important as farmers could no longer rely entirely on predictable rainfall patterns to determine planting seasons and crop management decisions.
He noted that climate-smart farming could help farmers reduce vulnerability to drought, improve the use of available resources and sustain agricultural production even when weather conditions are unfavorable.
The EAGC chief executive said the organization has also partnered with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other stakeholders to strengthen climate monitoring and provide farmers with information that could help them make timely decisions.
Through the partnership, the organisations are using remote-sensing technologies, including satellite data, drone imagery and artificial intelligence, to monitor weather patterns, assess the impact of drought and generate information to guide agricultural planning.
The technology is expected to help identify areas experiencing moisture stress and crop losses while providing information that can support decisions on planting, crop selection and other farm management practices.
“Through this partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization and other partners, we have been able to produce a number of drought records estimating the losses resulting from harsh drought conditions and informing farmers about the actions they can take given the prevailing climate conditions,” Musila said.
He revealed that satellite-based assessments indicated a 35 per cent drop in this year’s harvest in the Western region, attributing the decline to crop losses associated with unfavorable weather conditions.
Musila said the impact of poor harvests in Western Kenya had been partly cushioned by better agricultural performance in other parts of the country, particularly the Eastern and Lower Eastern regions, which experienced more favorable rainfall during the long-rains season.
“Because of all the crops we lost during the drought in the Western region, the Eastern and Lower Eastern regions had their long rains well and had a good harvest and that is why the crisis is not much in the country,” he said.
Musila said EAGC was working with more than one million farmers in Kenya through its agricultural hubs to promote climate-smart farming practices and improve productivity.
He added that the organization’s wider regional programmes reached more than three million farmers across Eastern Africa, providing opportunities to share knowledge and promote improved agricultural practices.
“In Kenya, through the hubs, we are working with over one million farmers to ensure that we spread climate-smart farming practices,” he said.
Musila said the forthcoming expo would bring together farmers, agricultural experts, researchers, agribusinesses and other stakeholders to share knowledge on technologies that could help transform food production systems.
He said the event, organised in partnership with the Bungoma County Department of Agriculture and Kibabii University, would provide farmers with an opportunity to learn about innovations they could adopt to improve yields, reduce production risks and strengthen their resilience to climate change.
“This expo will offer farmers in the region a learning opportunity on climate-smart farming to boost production during this climate change crisis,” he said.
Kibabii University Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Planning, Partnerships, Research and Innovation, Prof. Julius Maiyo, said the collaboration with EAGC had strengthened practical training and innovation among students pursuing agriculture-related courses.
Maiyo said the establishment of demonstration plots at the university had enabled students to complement classroom learning with hands-on experience, while creating opportunities to develop solutions to challenges facing farmers.
He said the partnership was also encouraging students to explore the application of emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, in agriculture.
“Within those innovations, we have AI in agriculture, sugarcane and irrigation. Our students have been going through the demonstration plots, and this collaboration has assisted our learners in scaling up their knowledge,” Maiyo said.
He disclosed that the university had developed an artificial intelligence-based irrigation innovation designed to monitor soil moisture levels and automatically trigger watering when the soil becomes too dry.
Maiyo stated that the technology uses sensors to detect declining soil moisture levels and sends alerts to a phone before activating the water supply, helping farmers irrigate their crops when necessary.
He said the innovation would be showcased during the expo to demonstrate how technology could help farmers manage water resources more efficiently, particularly in areas experiencing unreliable rainfall.
“That innovation will be showcased during the expo so that farmers can buy into the idea to help them during this difficult moment of climate change,” he said.
Maiyo said the university was committed to strengthening partnerships with agricultural organisations and other stakeholders to develop practical solutions that address the challenges facing farming communities.
Bungoma County Chief Officer for Agriculture Dr. Magrina Mayama welcomed the partnership between the university and EAGC, saying the expo would provide farmers with a platform to acquire knowledge, exchange experiences and establish networks with other agricultural stakeholders.
She affirmed that the event would encourage more farmers to adopt innovative farming practices and strengthen collaboration between researchers, county agricultural officers and farming communities.
