Farmers in Kiambu County have been challenged to provide an enabling environment for the promotion and adoption of agroecology in a bid to enhance food safety and access to markets. Speaking in Ruiru during a workshop organised for agro-ecological farmers in Kiambu and Muranga by the Institute for Agriculture and Ecology Kenya (ICE) in partnership with the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, ICE Director Martin Muriuki said agro-ecology and other nature-based solutions to agriculture were critical to alleviating food insecurity in the country. ‘Agroecology involves the adoption of various agricultural practices, which include the use of non-synthetic farm inputs, farmer-managed seed systems, water harvesting and management, and farm waste recycling, among others. Many farmers in the country have adopted these practices, and each one has experienced different results.’ ‘This is why we brought together farmers from Kiambu and Muranga because we understand that knowledge exchange is one of the key pillars of agroecology, where farmers share experiences and ideas in their practices.’ Said Muriuki. The director also said that there was a need for the government to invest more in smallholder producers and local agro-ecological food systems that would establish a food web in Kenya, supporting the production of healthy food, protecting the country’s agricultural biodiversity, and enhancing resilience to climate change. ‘This can be done by providing proper legal policies and strategies that support and allow the adoption and promotion of agroecology’. He said. Muriuki noted that making the transition from conventional to agro-ecological agriculture required an incentive-based system as well as the empowerment and participation of small-scale farmers in decision-making, hence the need for regular workshops. Speaking to KNA during the workshop, Patrick Gathiru, a vegetable farmer in Kiambu, said agro-ecological farming has reduced production costs because farmers do not have to spend a lot of money on expensive inputs such as fertilisers or pesticides because they get to use compost or farmyard manure from their farms as well as practice integrated pest management techniques. ‘Personally, my yields have increased significantly since I started agro-ecological farming. The soil on my farm is also enhanced, and I’m very happy knowing that I’m planting and selling healthy food that is not laden with chemicals, making it safe for consumption.’ Said Gathiru. The farmers also called for support in terms of education, saying they would require skills for sustainable farming practices, climate change adaptation, seed management, and conservation. They challenged institutions of higher learning teaching agriculture to move with the times and incorporate agroecology courses as a way of knowledge transfer and protecting the country’s endangered biodiversity.
Source: Kenya News Agency