SACRED Success stories

MBILI is an acronym for Managing Beneficial Interactions in Legume Intercrops. It is a participatory research and development project that SACRED Africa is undertaking in collaboration with Rockefeller Foundation. The project essentially promotes the intercropping of Maize and other legumes such as common beans, green grams, groundnuts and soyabeans. The MBILI projects improves not only the maize yield per unit of land, but also increases the production of the accompanying legumes by far better margins than the conventional mono-planting practices that are prevalent in most African communities. This project also helps to retain nitrogen fixation within the soil and also enables the farmers to maximize production for subsistence and cash.Best Bets Network

The Best Bets network was established in 2004. It facilitates the provision of 22 different soil fertility management options to farmers from different NGOs. From those options the farmers select eight and try them out side by side on their farms. The unique aspect of this project is that it successfully combines complimenting technologies, which are adjudged, adopted and utilized by the farmers themselves. The project also promotes the aspect of complimentarity, where technology developers on the one hand and institutions involved as well as farmers on the other hand do not consider such technologies as competing, but rather seek to combine the best aspects of each (technology fusion) in order to improve agricultural production, performance and increase yields accordingly. This network approach also encourages the researchers and institutions that developed the technologies to work closely with farmers for the mutual benefit of all stakeholders involved, and most importantly for the ultimate purpose of promoting sustainable agriculture and food security.

The Striga Network Project

A farmers shows off the devastating effects of striga weed on her farm in Vihiga District, kenya. SACRED Africa is working with farmers to devlop technologies for eradicating striga. The project is funded by The African Agricultural Technologies Foundation (AATF).The Striga network is basically part of the Best Bets project. This network was established after it was found that most farmers, particularly in the Western Region of Kenya were experiencing the Striga weed problem that destroyed their crops. On average, farmers in this part of the country experienced annual losses attributed to Striga weed amounting to Ksh. 800 million. SACRED Africa therefore become instrumental in establishing a network of leading research institutions and actors to combine forces with the farmers in order to undertake participatory and adaptive research that combined different technologies for addressing the persistent Striga problem.

The other institutions involved in this research are the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (ATF), Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), an international research organization based in Mexico called CIMMTY and eight regional NGOs. The project undertook 280 on-farm trials, test marketing and offered extension services on the newly developed anti-striga technology through 44 field days in both Nyanza and Western Sectors of Kenya. This project, which has been immensely successful, is being upscaled to other parts of the country and in the region.

Seed Variety Testing (SVT) Project

This project is aimed at enhancing performance and eventual yields of maize and other crop varieties through on-farm experimentation whereby farmers compare the old and new seed varieties at different fertilizer rates in order to make informed decisions based on the outcomes when they purchase seeds. Through this project, the participating farmers have an opportunity to interact with seed suppliers during the field days and field visits. Such interactions involve experience sharing and mutual learning. The suppliers of seeds and other farm inputs learn the kind of traits that farmers look for in the seed varieties. It is expected that this project will enable plant breeders to continually improve on the seed varieties in order not only to suit the preferences of the farmers, but also to improve crop performance and yields.

SALOP Project

A Team from the United Kingdom Visits a SACRED Africa supported indigenous vegetable production, processing and marketing enterprise for women farmers in Western Kenya. The project is funded by the Tudor Trust, UK.SALOP is an acronym for Sustainable Agriculture Local Outreach Project. This project aims at building and strengthening the institutional capacities of women’s groups through training. The intervention enables women’s groups to adopt, utilize and scale up sustainable agriculture technologies. Other related interventions involve integrating women’s agricultural activities with the market realities and basically emphasize home-based and collective marketing of farm produce. The project has realized improved production and marketing of soya beans, groundnuts and disease-tolerant cassava varieties. Besides, this project has generated enormous value addition for the participating women groups and farmers for their products by linking the farmers directly to the super markets for the supply of their produce, thus cutting out the market speculators, who are commonly known as middlemen.

Broadened Operational Infrastructure

Sacred Africa has over the years been meticulously building and strengthening its operating infrastructure, assets and staff capacities. In 2004, the NGO acquired land at Siritanyi on the outskirts of Bungoma town where a regional office complex and research centre serving the Western Kenya Sector was set up. This ultra-modern office and centre has ample space and facilities for conducting meetings, seminars, workshops and related functions not only for the organization, but also for other community groups as well as institutions that may be interested. The centre also has an elaborate farm for research, trials and demonstration. What more, the centre is located in an ideal place away from the hustle and bustle of the nearby town. It has a serene environment for work and research.

Poverty alleviation and Employment Creation Recognized

In 2004, the Executive Director, and indeed the entire fraternity of SACRED Africa was bestowed with official recognition by the Head of state and government of Kenya. The recognition known as the Head of State Commendation (HSC – Civilian Division) was officially conferred upon the Executive Director, Dr. Eusebius Mukhwana by the Provincial Comissioner for Western Province on behalf of President Mwai Kibaki. The NGO has created direct employment for 28 staff and indirect employment for several community members and other stakeholders. This recognition reflects the gallant and visionary efforts of the leadership and staff of this NGO. This notwithstanding, the organization has also facilitated attachments, internship and university related academic research openings for several graduate and doctoral students in order to enable them actualize their academic credentials. Plans are at an advanced stage to formalize a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Moi University for joint collaboration in academic teaching and training as well as research work. All these attributes attest to the fact that Sacred Africa is playing an increasing visible role in touching the lives of communities within Kenya and in the region.

Some Notable Achievements

• Some of the notable achievements made over the years include the following.Supporting the introduction of the an early maturing and higher yielding rain fed upland New Rice for Africa (NERICA) in Western Kenya in collaboration with other research organizations.
• Facilitating the establishment of 25 Community Cereal Banks, which operate as Community Based Organizations (CBOs) with a membership of 2,000 smallholder farmers in Western Kenya. The Mayanja Maize Marketing CBO has been the most exemplary, as it realized Ksh. 4.5 million worth of maize sales during the 2003/2004 season. Cumulatively, all the CBOs registered sales of about Ksh. 20 million, with individual members getting an average of Ksh. 16,424/=.
• The Smallholder Maize Marketing (SMM) is being scaled up to benefit up to 2000 farmers in the western sector of Kenya. More cereal banks have already been established in Kapkateny, Kamukuywa, Naitiri, Tongaren and Ekitale. A further 15 banks have been established in Siaya District alone. In addition, others are being established in Vihiga and Butere-Mumias in collaboration with friendly and like-minded NGOs.
• Establishment of the Siritanyi Farmers’ Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre, which is not only benefiting farmers, but also the other collaborators like Moi University and a host of students ranging from certificate level to diploma and degree level as well as postgraduate levels who are attached to the NGO for research and internship.
• Provision of market intelligence to farmers as well as credit to cereal banking and marketing CBOs up to a maximum of Ksh. 300,000/= for the purchase of cereals. A total of Ksh. 3 million has been disbursed to farmers’ groups as a revolving fund.
• Supporting research efforts on the control and management of the Striga weed in Western Kenya in collaboration with the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Moi University and Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI).
• Facilitating new Seed Variety Testing (SVT) with research partners in 8 districts of Western Province of Kenya with the view of accelerating the uptake of the same.
• Initiating the Sustainable Agriculture Local Outreach Program in the Western Kenya, which has benefited several women’s groups through training and establishment of farmer learning centres.

For more details contact the Director, SACRED Africa at sacred@africaonline.co.ke (c) 2009 SACRED Africa