The Kenyan government is stepping up efforts to strengthen food security and livestock productivity in Kenya's arid and semi-arid lands through climate-resilient agricultural technologies. The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) is working with farmers in Wajir County to test improved cowpea, pasture, and fodder varieties. This initiative aims to identify technologies that can support food and livestock production under harsh climatic conditions.
The Food Systems Resilience Project (FSRP), a government programme co-funded by the World Bank and the national government, is supporting demonstration farms in Wajir County. KALRO researcher Beatrice Wanjiru Nganga is assessing 10 cowpea varieties at a demonstration farm in Kalkalcha West, Wajir West. The trials aim to establish cowpea varieties capable of tolerating local conditions, including sandy soils, high temperatures, and erratic rainfall.
Nganga said soil and water samples were collected before the plots were established to provide information on the conditions under which the different varieties would be grown. Water quality is particularly important in Wajir, where many farmers rely on shallow wells for irrigation. The researcher noted that the cowpea varieties had generally performed well, with some maturing in about 60 days, demonstrating their potential for dryland production.
KALRO has established cowpea demonstration sites in various wards in Wajir County, providing farmers with an opportunity to observe the technologies under local conditions. KALRO Agronomist Charles Muriuki said the demonstrations aimed to identify and showcase agricultural technologies that could perform in difficult production environments. Cowpea was selected due to its adaptability to dryland conditions and relatively low rainfall requirements.
Beyond providing food and income, cowpea contributes to soil fertility through its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen. Its short maturity period also gives households an additional food source before longer-maturing crops are ready for harvesting. Farmer Halima Kahia is hosting the cowpea trials alongside fodder demonstrations at her farm in Kalkalcha West. The farm is also being used to demonstrate improved fodder production, addressing feed shortages that affect livestock during prolonged dry periods.
The fodder varieties being tested include sweet potato vines, teff, and two sorghum varieties. KALRO researcher Dr. Fred Kemboi said inadequate pasture and forage remained a major constraint to livestock productivity in Wajir. He said declining natural grazing resources made the traditional practice of moving animals over long distances in search of pasture increasingly difficult. KALRO is testing improved pasture and fodder varieties that could support livestock under more controlled production systems.
The Wajir demonstrations form part of broader government efforts to strengthen agricultural resilience and improve food and livestock production in ASAL counties. By generating locally tested evidence on crops, pasture, and fodder, the initiative is expected to support the identification of technologies that can be adapted and adopted by farmers to improve food availability, livestock feeding, and household incomes in climate-vulnerable areas.
Key points
- The Kenyan government is promoting climate-resilient agricultural technologies to strengthen food security and livestock productivity in arid and semi-arid lands.
- KALRO is testing improved cowpea, pasture, and fodder varieties to identify technologies that can support food and livestock production under harsh climatic conditions.
- The initiative aims to support the identification of technologies that can be adapted and adopted by farmers to improve food availability, livestock feeding, and household incomes in climate-vulnerable areas.
