Hope as PACJA-supported first sorghum, sunflower integrated crop doing fine

For the second year in a row, small scale farmers in arid and semi-arid areas have villagers in Athiru Gaiti catchment area in Eastern Kenya to learn from on locally led climate-smart farming.

While the farmers are on the third crop of sunflower crop, this year however is different. Unlike the two previous sessions, this time around, farmers will also be having sorghum crop for the first time, thanks to the partnership between the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) and the East Africa Brewers Limited.

While PACJA is mobilising the communities to adapt to the climate realities, the EABL is providing a ready market to the farmers for the crop to be harvested.

After the October/November rains failed, farmers did not give up and replanted the sorghum. The rains resumed and the evidence is a true testimony of resilience by farmers.

“My crop is doing very well. But this is my second crop because the first seed I sowed did not do well because of the prolonged drought we experienced in August-December session of 2021,” said Mutwiri Johnstone, a smallscale farmer in Gaiti.

According to James Nyaga, Young persons are at the center of sorghum production. “We are very excited and this is what Tujiinue Tena project seeks to achieve among the farming communities ravaged by Covid 19 and climate change,” he said.

The Tijuinue Tena project brings together multiple governmental and non-state actors to reduce vulnerability of communities to future disasters by building resilience to address social, economic and physiological catastrophes and shocks.

The Project was mooted and piloted in semi-arid Northern Meru region with future plans of scaling it up to other parts of the county, Kenya and Africa.

In the recent past, the region in question has experienced erratic rainfall patterns occasioned by changing climatic conditions.

Coupled with the adverse effects of Covid 19, the region’s economy has been completely destabilized. Sunflower, an early maturing, drought tolerant and high value crop came as a reprieve to the communities residing in the lower belt of Meru North, a place ecologically viable for the crop.

Tujiinue Tena project was first embraced by 3000 farmers in 2020 who cultivated 5000 acres of land and grew sunflower during short rains. The project saw over 200 tons of sunflower harvested in a single season. 60 Tons of the produce were delivered to BIDCO, a partner in the project to its factory in Nakuru, 40 tons were consumed locally by internal trade among farmers as livestock feeds and 100 tons used by upcoming Cottage Industries which locally process sunflower to edible oils.

The partnership between PACJA and BIDCO Africa, Africa’s leading edible oil processor, assured farmers of ready market, thus completing the entire value-chain of sunflower.

 However in 2021, farmers diversified their farm enterprises to include sorghum production alongside sunflower farming, and thus expect to increase their sources of income and will definitely become food secure as well as improve their standards of living.