Increasing Yields through Conservation Agriculture
Okatekok Kanyautu self-help group was profiled by ADS Western through the Conservation Agriculture (CA) Project in the year 2017 as one of the CA farmer groups in Teso South Sub-county, Busia County. The group has 11 male members with Lawrence Enyangat as the chairman. He was chosen as a TOT representing his group and other farmers within the Kaliwa location. Lawrence started implementing CA activities on his farm after attending trainings on CA principles organized by ADSW in partnership with World Renew. He has been sensitizing farmers on CA activities, making follow-ups and collecting data.
During a farmer exchange visit to Mabanga Agriculture Training Centre in Bungoma County organised by ADS Western Lawrence bought 2kgs of mucuna seed and planted it as a cover crop. Which helped control soil erosion and added organic matter on his farm thus improving its soil structure and fertility. After intercropping maize with Mucuna on his 18 by 40m plot his maize yields improved from 30kgs to 70kgs. During the next planting season, he did the same crops on the plot and harvested 170kgs of maize and 80kgs of Mucuna. This encouraged Lawrence to expand his farm in which he plants maize, mucuna and ALVs.
His farm was selected to host a Conservation Agriculture field day which was attended by 243 farmers. Through the CA project initiated by ADS Western on Lawrence’s farm, Kenya Agriculture Livestock and Research Organization (KALRO) developed an interest in the farmer and has established local vegetable seed production plots with him. Two more groups (Ndotoya Maskini, Katamakisi Kadumutu) with a membership of 12 farmers each have joined Lawrence and are now implementing CA activities on their farms while Kenya Seed Company has also set up demonstration plots for new maize seeds varieties trial.
