Integrated Soil Fertility Management and Poverty Traps in Western Kenya

Abstract

Based on agro-climatic conditions, the highland districts around Lake Victoria in western Kenya should be a food surplus area. In practice, they are heavily dependent on food imports, whilst national poverty surveys consistently show them to be amongst the poorest in the country. At the root of this problem are high population densities and, therefore, small land holdings, and limited access to markets. As a result of continuous cropping with very little investment in soil fertility replenishment, the soils have become severely depleted. Many poor households in these districts are now caught in a “maize-focused poverty trap”, whereby their first agricultural priority is to provide themselves with maize for home consumption, yet yields are low and returns are insufficient to support investment in either organic soil fertility enhancement technologies or inorganic fertilizers. Thus, despite that the majority of average household puts large portions of its land under maize during both cropping seasons, it is still unable to feed itself for several months of the year. In addition to the problem of low soil fertility, continuous cropping of maize has also led to an endemic infestation of the striga weed throughout these districts, further depressing maize yields.

To invest in soils, most households (unless they have a reliable source of non-farm income) need to diversify into higher value crops than maize. However, the combination of small land holdings and existing maize deficits mean that they will only plant other crops if they can simultaneously raise their maize yields. Achieving this requires that a number of conditions must be in place. Firstly, households must be linked to markets, so that they can identify higher value cropping opportunities and be able to market their crops once they have grown them. In the western highlands, most producers are only familiar with local markets (where opportunities are limited) and they can initially only offer small quantities of produce, which reduces their attractiveness to potential buyers. Secondly, they need technical knowledge, on best cultural practices for the new crops and, critically, on how to manage their natural resource base, so as to increase their yields both of maize and of the new crops.

Thirdly, they need to be able to access good quality seeds of crop varieties that are both suited to their local production conditions and are demanded in the market-place. Finally, most will also need access to credit, so as to be able to acquire inputs for more intensive maize production. This credit can then be repaid out of the sale of the additional crops later in the year. Critically, all these conditions need to be in place within their local area before poor households can hope to shift from a maize-only production system to one that delivers enhanced food and cash, whilst simultaneously enhancing the soil fertility on which future production depends.

This paper reports the experience of a DFID-funded action research project that, since 2001, has been exploring the potential for coordinated development interventions to enhance livelihoods through the promotion of integrated soil fertility management in collaboration with national and international institutes and extension services. Experiences with the provision of technical advice, the development of a community based credit scheme for agricultural inputs, initial steps towards linking farmers to new markets and making new seeds available to producers are reviewed and constraints identified, along with initial indications of the impact that coordinated service provision could have on agricultural production and livelihoods. Finally, the over-arching challenge of how to coordinate the provision of these services on a sustainable basis is considered