by Xinhua writer Naftali Mwaura

NAKURU, Kenya, April 10 (Xinhua) -- With palpable joy, Pauline Mogambi cast an admiring gaze at the indigenous vegetables blooming on her farm in the northwestern Kenyan county of Nakuru, about 180 kilometers from the capital, Nairobi.

The mother of two is an early adopter of conservation agriculture, which promotes soil health through minimal tillage alongside organic methods of controlling crop pests and diseases to boost yield. Ever since she started practicing zero tillage, intercropping and application of compost manure, her one-acre farm has produced enough to feed her family and sell surplus at local markets.

"I have been a farmer for two decades and used to grapple with depressed harvests, but when I embraced conservation agriculture and organic weed and pest control methods, total crop yield shot up," Mogambi told Xinhua at her farm on Monday.

Smallholder farmers in Nakuru County, one of Kenya's breadbaskets, have not been spared the challenges posed by a warming planet, including voracious pests, diseases, market volatility and shrinking arable land. The Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR), through its Initiative on Diversification in East and Southern Africa, has nevertheless assisted these farmers in deploying technologies and innovations that enhance climate resilience, promoting food and nutritional security.

In Kenya, the initiative dubbed "Ukama Ustawi," which translates to "partnership and progress," is being implemented in Nakuru and Kenya's eastern counties of Embu and Makueni.

Mogambi's farm has served as a demonstration site for various innovative practices, including zero tillage, stripping, intercropping, crop rotation, mulching and agroforestry. Since adopting these climate-smart farming techniques, Mogambi has reported a threefold increase in maize, legume, kale, tuber and fruit harvests, improving both her family's nutrition and income.

"Currently, I am able to harvest 36 bags of maize and 20 tons of silage, and before embracing conservation agriculture, I used to harvest a maximum of seven bags of maize. Now I am proud to say farming is my full-time employer," Mogambi said.

Boaz Waswa, a soil scientist with the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), a member of CGIAR, said that indigenous knowledge and innovation are key to boosting the resilience of local smallholder farmers.

According to Waswa, these farmers should be empowered to increase crop diversification, zero tillage and the use of organic manure and drip irrigation to boost crop yield and combat hunger, poverty and malnutrition. "When we diversify crops, households will have more nutritious food and better incomes. We also need to apply agroecological solutions that improve soil health."

He said that the deployment of these climate-smart innovations has also been gender-inclusive, ensuring that women and youth farmers are empowered to cope with climatic shocks.

The "Ukama Usawa" initiative, which is being implemented in 12 African countries, including Kenya, has enhanced yield stability at the smallholder level, boosting the fight against rural hunger and poverty, Waswa added.

On the southern edge of Nakuru County, where Serah Ndung'us two-acre farm is located, a variety of crops including maize, beans, kales, potatoes and avocado trees create a green foliage that grabs the attention of passersby. The middle-aged farmer is a champion of sustainable practices, including agroforestry, conservation agriculture, intercropping and mulching, that have guaranteed her bumper harvests in any given season.

Ndung'u said that smallholder farmers are keen to transition from conventional methods of growing crops that have proved unsustainable. Skills gained through the initiative have enabled her to leverage climate-resilient innovations to boost the production of cereals, legumes, tubers and vegetables.

"Sometimes it can turn very dry in my locality, but through mulching, drip irrigation, and minimum tillage, I am able to retain soil moisture on my farm and grow different crop varieties to maturity," Ndung'u said. Enditem

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