At least 5,000 smallholder farmers in five counties within Rift Valley and Western Kenya are set to benefit from training on regenerative agricultural practices.
Under the initiative spearheaded by Sistema.bio, in partnership with SNV, the farmers will be trained on the benefits of embracing organic farming.
Raymond Ng’etich, an officer at Sistema.bio further notes that the project, targeting dairy farmers seeks to ensure smallholder farmers get a biogas plant – a key enabler for regenerative agricultural practices.
“Biofertilizer is what we want to encourage farmers to use so that they engage in farming practices that protect the environment,” Ng’etich told journalists during an engagement with farmers in Eldoret on December 14, 2022.
With a biogas plant, a farmer can convert animal waste into energy for domestic use such as cooking and fertilizer which enables him/her to practice pure organic farming.
“This will reduce the cost of farming as we also try to conserve the environment,” noted the Sistema.bio official.
“We are seeking to empower farmers, help women from the effects of smoke that come out of the use of firewood and at the same time protect the soil,” he added.
Climate-smart agriculture
Other smallholder farmers being targeted in the initiative are those within Bungoma, Nakuru, Kakamega and Kericho.
So far, the company has installed at least 7,000 biogas plants across the country, 1,000 of which are within Uasin Gishu County.
It is hoping to increase uptake amongst farmers with the new initiative.
Judith Libaisi, SNV’s agroecology and agro-biodiversity advisor on Regenerative Agricultural practise for improved Livelihoods and Markets (REALMS) says biodigesters have been recognized as one of the climate-smart agriculture which helps in climate adaptation and mitigation strategies.
“We are looking at having the bio-slurry from the biogas plants which enables farmers to use, but better still, it is going to enrich the soils by building the eroded nutrients, including animal and plant life underneath soils,” Libaisi said.
“This initiative will also align farmers to Regen10, a movement promoting regenerative agriculture that was set up following the recently concluded 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27),” she added.
The initiative is targeting to benefit 5,000 smallholders, farmers, directly, and 15,000 others indirectly.
