Overview of the FAO - Government of

Kenya Agrobiodiversity Programme FAO–Netherlands Partnership Programme

(FNPP II - 2005 – 2007) Collaboration for policy and strategic support for sustainable ecosystems, rural livelihoods

and food security

by Sally Bunning FAO-Rome and Michael Makokha, FAO-Kenya

• People centred (gender equity)

• Inter-sectoral process • Strengthen existing

programme activities  • Policy impact in short/

medium term• Ecosystem approach • Opportunity to establish

synergies• Integrating water

Guiding principles of Kenya strategic integrated programme

Agrobiodiversity Forestry

Food Security

3 Themes

AgBio Programme framework and linkages

Local community FFS action in Lake Zone

district - fishing communities

Local community FFS action in

Dryland district -agropastoral communities

Training institutes - information and curricula devt.

Integrated land use, resources and

agrobiodiversity assessment INRA

Policy dialogue- mainstreaming AGBD, enabling environment

Harmonisation AGBD, FS, FO

Specific studies

markets and seed system Specific

databases-invasive

spp.

Case studies

and policy briefs

Feedback

1a

1b

2

3

Status /trends of plant genetic

resources

AGBD Programme responds to needs identified

Habitat management (beaches, user rights, pollination)

Integrated resources management(agro-ecological approaches; river basin management, soil, water,

biological resources)

Alternative livelihoods(fishing communities)

Invasiveness (e.g. Prosopis – other woody species. learning from fisheries)

Responding to HIV/AIDS(labour saving CA approaches, nutrition, fisher-trader links)

Drought resilience (local varieties/species, runoof management

Markets - Seeds Networks(prices, organisation, farming as a business)

Agrobiodiversity Programme (1): Local level – FFS in diverse farming systems/AEZ

2

Identifying and adapting agro-biodiversity management options + opportunities

1) Mwingi district, semi-arid agro-pastoral drought resilient, mixed systems

2. Bondo district, Sub-humid Lake Zone sustainable, productive aquatic and terrestrial systems

3. Coastal zone: INRA pilot

1

Link with drylands Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia

Link across Lake Victoria basin

Encourage partnerships for institutional capacity building & integrated NR

management. Multiple Partners are identified for synergy and collaboration

• Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock• Departments: Resource survey and remote sensing; Fisheries

and forestry• Ministry of Environment and Education• technical bodies KARI, KEFRI, ICRAF,ITDG, JKU, ICRISAT,

ILRI, KEMFRI...• Community level: District, FFS, Extension, • Universities (Egerton, Moi, Jomo Kenyatta)• Training colleges- teacher training, agriculture and forestry• Partner organisations: ICRISAT, Bioversity, ITDG, CIKSAP• Aim attention/ development of a steering committee at policy

level

Observation

LEARNING BY DOING & REFLECTING

AnalysisPresentation

Synthesis /discussion

• Community resources management + impacts (species, habitats, etc.)• Changing customs and innovations (practices, by-laws, diet, recipes..) • Local conservation strategies; individual and communal• Effects of markets and market development• Ecological services e.g. pollination, beekeeping; soil health, water• Impact of cash crops (on systems, income, environment, security..)• IPM, safe use and beneficial insect species • Links with other actors (nutrition, health, business management etc.)

Coast: Farming, fish farming and fisheries in Lake Victoria basin

• Local vegetables (income, nutrition, ..)• Alien species • 2 fisheries scenarios: river (aquaculture) and lake (catch) • Upstream agric. and non-agricultural practices affecting aquatic area • Changes in aquatic area (not only fish) • Conservation and use – e.g. products of wild harvested spp.such as Papyrus

Mwingi: Drought resilient agropastoral systems

• Genebank of local varieties• Communal seed systems (storage)• Effects of commercialised crops• Drought resistant crops: sorghum varieties; green gram; pigeon pea • Resilient, productive systems (water harvesting etc.)

Identified General topics for FFS process

Expanding FFS to agro-pastoral communities?

Challenges• From individual farms to communal land• Community extension facilitators • Group experimentation• Curriculum

FFSResource management

systems,land & water,

Diversification- species, habitat management

Soil health, pollination, aquaculture + fishery

LInKS

1a)Targets farmer groups, extension/facilitators

PRA and AGBD study

Identify issues for FFS

Curriculum development

FFS Conduct and evaluation

Documenting process and lessons

• Curriculum development – integrate AGBD in training • Training materials/ short courses• Livelihood approaches- HIV/AIDS, gender, nutrition• Exchange between extension and training• Workshops with colleges• Development of Case studies and Policy briefs

1.b) Targets extension and technical staff

seed fair Kenya

FFS in Kenya

Example of a training module and FFS study

Pollination is an important ecosystem function that affects crop production

• An ecosystem service critical in agriculture• Determines plant diversity and food supply 60% of food

plants insect pollinated• Role in sustaining natural plant populations• Direct influence on fruit set, seed set, fruit quality and

quantityWork being conducted with Jomo kenyatta University (Grace

Njoroge et al) developing training modules + FFS study

Work on pollination in kenya

• Pollination has direct influence on yields even at low fertilizer levels

• Farmers have important local knowledge – need to document and use

• Capacity building: Need for interactive training and Public awareness on role on ecological functions e.g. pollination, soil biodiversity etc.– to affect policy

• Assessment: Need more surveys especially for crops in fragile ecosystems to monitor pollinator declines and causes with local people

• Adaptive management: Strategy for conservation and management of pollination services– Cashew nuts: flies, ants and honeybees for nut development– Coffee – improves flavor– Sunflower and cotton - oil output increased– Coconut - bees yield doubled.

AgBio 2: Improving access to information & knowledge

2.a INRA: Integrated natural resources (and biodiversity) assessment

(builds on forest resources assessment) - Assess available information and needs (status and trends - land use, habitat/species)- Develop and pilot inter-sectoral methodology (AGBD, land use, land, water, other natural resources, ecosystem)- Identify indicator and tools (field survey, transects, RRA-questionnaire)- Capacity building (Participatory mapping and assessment; RS, sampling, - Compatible data, database development and analysis)

Targets technical capacity & informed decision making by policy makers/resource managers

Improving access to information & knowledge (continued)

2.b) Information systems on alien species in fisheries and forestry (for management and early warning)

2c) Information on plant genetic resources for food an agriculture – Assess status of genetic resources with FFS– Train people to collect and analyse data– Improve the quality of information about PGRFA status and

dynamics– Contribute to reporting commitment to State of World

report on PGRFA– link with over 26 key PGR institutions

Targets: technical + extension level (Partners: Genebank, IPGRI..)

2d) Research on Managing Seed Systems to promote the sustainable utilization of crop genetic resources:

Two focus areas

1. Using markets to promote sustainable use of CGRHow to manage seed systems to promote sustainable agriculture, improved farm welfare and in situ conservation of important crop genetic diversity. Methodology development

– Case studies: Mali, Kenya, India, Mexico, Bolivia

2. Economic analysis of seed system impacts on farm welfare and on farm diversityAssessing the links between seed systems and farm level use of crops and varieties and their implications for welfare and diversityCase studies: Ethiopia (Sorghum, Wheat); Mozambique (cowpea) India (Pearl Millet) Mexico (Maize) in partnership with IPGRI, ICRISAT, IFPRI, and CIMMYT

Work together to achieve happy healthy farmers and ecosystems

Smallholders access market prices from rural info kiosks, c/o Pride africa,

IDRC