Farmers' suggestions for improvement measures

The farmer feedback meetings focused on the measures required to improve the areas with unacceptable scores. The farmers' suggestions are discussed below, listed by sub-theme under the different sustainability dimensions.

Environmental integrity:

Reduce water withdrawal: The farmers suggested that improved irrigation technologies could reduce water use/minimize water loss, would be less expensive to run, and more efficient to use. The use of drip irrigation and foot-pumps was discussed, as well as the pros and cons of different technologies.

Farmers pledged to avoid planting water-draining trees, such as eucalyptus, near water sources. They pledged to adopt various water harvesting methods, including surface run-off harvesting (such as contour ridges, semi-circular bunds), Zai pits, rooftop harvesting, ponds or dams, and storage reservoirs such as water tanks, to improve the availability of water during dry spells. A few farmers suggested the construction of small dams to harvest water in Machakos County.

"…we have invested in foot water pumps and bought better PVC pipes that are helping to reduce the cost we used to incur buying petrol and reduce water wastage when irrigating." (Farmer from Kithimani in Machakos)

Reduce biodiversity loss: The farmers have taken up some practices that enhance biodiversity conservation, that protect and preserve the wealth and variety of species, habitats, ecosystems, and genetic diversity around their farms, by reducing the use of pesticides, and avoiding loss of micro-organisms in the soil by reducing or stopping the practice of burning crop residues. Farmers also suggested avoidance of cultivation along riparian areas which has led to a loss of organic matter by water erosion and the washing away of soils. Another suggestion was planting more trees, especially indigenous types, and avoiding the clearing of bushes where unnecessary. Indigenous trees are better adapted to the local prevailing climatic and geographic conditions.

"…we have invested in tree planting on my farm, and this has helped in conserving water, improving air quality around my farm." (Farmer from Machakos)

"…having indigenous trees on my farm has helped as a windbreak for my tea plantation and as firewood for home use." (Farmer from Murang’a)

Improve soil quality: Practicing mulching, crop rotation, soil erosion control measures, and the use of organic manures promotes soil quality. Farmers encouraged one another to prioritize soil testing to know the quality of their soils before planting to avoid under or over nutrient application for the

farmyard manure is stored to reduce nutrient loss was stressed. Farmers suggested they should avoid excessive use of synthetic fertilizers to reduce making the soil acidic.

"…last year (2018) I had the soils on my small farm tested, and the results revealed that there was less nitrogen and dry matter in the soil. The measure recommended we addressed this, and the crops performed better. We sold more vegetables and are happy with the results. I would encourage other farmers to get their soils tested." (Farmer from Murang’a)

Economic resilience: The four key message areas discussed include the stability of markets, improve profitability by keeping records, community investments, and food safety.

Stability of markets: The supply of sufficient farm produce to local markets throughout the year requires that farmers work together as a group to stagger production and ensure that each month crops are being produced. The suggested action-plan was to have a production plan showing a schedule of farmers and the time to start planting, to ensure continuous production to sustain the local market. Off-season production of crops using irrigation and reducing dependence on rain was also discussed.

"…with irrigation we are able to grow green maize throughout the year and sell at a higher price per cob than when we depend on rains only.” (Farmer from Murang’a)

"…having irrigation water enabled farming throughout the year. We grow many different leafy vegetables that sell in the local markets, and traders come from far to purchase them since they know we have them throughout the year." (Farmer from Mamba in Machakos)

Improve profitability by keeping records: Getting higher profits requires several aspects to be considered, and key among them is having records of what inputs were used, labour costs, prices of various items, dates of when crops were planted, and use of a cropping calendar. Keeping track of the various farm activities requires record-keeping to avoid reliance on recalling the many details of every crop operation, inputs prices, and revenue from produce. Record-keeping assists farmers to assess the cost of production and calculate which crops are profitable, allowing them to reduce the number of crops they grow to only those that they can manage profitably. Also, the documents assist in planning farming activities to decide on where to re-invest to grow their farm enterprise.

"…watermelons were ready for harvesting around January, and as the only farmer in that area, we got excellent prices as there were so few farms with melons in the market." (Farmer from Matuu in Machakos)

Community investments: Most development activities and facilities are set up by the government.

Farmers working in groups can work together to improve community standards by maintaining the infrastructure that benefits them (in areas such as link roads from farm to farm, community health centers, local markets, etc.). Farmers' projects to improve the community’s environment were discussed.

"…working together as a group we can ensure more is done together to benefit group members and share ideas on investment options that favor the group." (Farmer from Murang’a)

Food safety: Rising number of cancer cases has led farmers to question the safety of the products they use on their crops and livestock. The safe and hygienic measures taken in handling farm produce to reduce high post-harvest losses were also discussed. The need to observe laid down procedures after spraying crops or giving livestock medication to reduce residual levels in crops and milk was discussed.

"…some farmers don't wait for the recommended duration after spraying the crop. They harvest some crops (tomato and French beans) before the lapse of the chemical effect since the buyer is on the farm and is giving good money for the crop…" (Farmer from Kirinyaga)

Social well-being: The need to improve capacity development, work safety and health provisions, and public health were discussed.

Improve capacity development: The organization of farmer training meetings or workshops to enable farmers to learn new farming practices should become a continuous process. The change to demand-driven agricultural services and fewer extension service providers has led to changes in how extension services are provided in the counties. Cooperatives organize training for crops like tea and coffee and for milk production. Farmer field days are held in each area every year. Farmers also visit each other and learn by sharing knowledge with those who are not informed on better crop production techniques.

Centre of Kenya to hold many more such field days each farming season…" (Farmer from Murang’a)

Improve work safety and health provisions: The work environment for farmworkers and their families must be conducive to enable good working conditions and relations. The persons working on a farm should have the correct equipment and tools. In the spraying of crops against pests and diseases, the correct spraying outfit is mandatory. The recommended practices include availability of a secure first aid kit and the marking of all dangerous areas on the farm that are risky and should be avoided. When using chemical pesticides, one should never spray against the wind, not eat or smoke while spraying, and one should take a bath and drink water after spraying.

"…we get farmhands (casual labour) for spraying our tomato crop, but they don't listen to us on wearing the full protective gear. Some say wearing the overall is uncomfortable…" (Farmer from Kirinyaga)

"…we noticed that when we hire farmhands (casual labour) for spraying our crop, they don’t wear the full protective gear. Some smoke in the field while spraying crops, and when asked why they are doing so contrary to safety procedures, they say it's something small, just one or two puffs…" (Farmer from Kirinyaga)

Improve public health: There is a need to protect crops and livestock against pests and diseases. The inputs used for pests and disease control should be stored in line with recommendations on storage to ensure viability is maintained as well as to minimize their harmful effects due to poor handling.

After use, the chemical containers should be destroyed or returned to Agro-vets where applicable.

Other measures to follow include; avoid dumping farm waste in rivers, avoid cleaning knapsack pesticide sprayers in rivers, and observe pre-harvest intervals after spraying to stop the supply of harmful products to the community.

"…sometimes as farmers we take it for granted that the crops we sell after spraying are good to sell to the public but forgetting that our children living in the urban areas are the ones consuming the crops we sold that are full of chemicals…" (Farmer from Kirinyaga)

Governance: The key message areas discussed were civic responsibility (community involvement) and full-cost accounting (improving record-keeping, holistic audits, and transparency).

Civic responsibility (community engagement): The devolved governments at the county level plan development activities. Public participation in this planning, including the budget-making process, is encouraged as entrenched in the Constitution of Kenya (2010). Each citizen, apart from voting to elect representatives to various positions (Member of County Assembly, women representative, Member of Parliament, Senator, Governor, and President), can participate in activities that build the community, such as the planning and budgeting process in the county. The farmers suggested that they should take elected leaders to task on non-met initiatives which they committed to undertake.

"….we as citizens are encouraged to participate in the county budget-making process by contributing our views each year during the stakeholders' budget discussion meeting held before the county budget is passed in the county assembly." (Farmer from Kirinyaga)

Full cost accounting (improving record-keeping, holistic audits, and transparency): Farming is not just about the production of crops for food and sale of the excess to the market. Farmers are encouraged to consider it a business similar to other jobs that pay well. Investments in farming should consider the future of the enterprise with achievable, sustainable goals that family members can continue developing. Farmers should plan and involve their children in farming activities so that they can take over from them. The farmers suggested that well-kept records could enable them to secure investment capital for the development of the farm.

"…we were able to secure a bank loan from an agriculture finance cooperation since we had been keeping various farm records as support documents for the farm business plan…" (Farmer from Murang’a)