In this paper, we discuss the changes taking place in the Kenyan seed sector, with a focus on potato. The changes paint an extremely disturbing picture of how draconian agricultural and seed laws and policies are undermining smallholder farmers and their seed and food systems.

Despite the fact that the latest IPCC report recognized "African indigenous knowledge systems" as smart adaptation strategies against worsening climate change, this article argues that smallholder farmers who have benefited from planting their indigenous seeds are under threat from the government's law, which has placed restrictions on the informal seed...

This publication showcases initiatives that have been successfully implemented to help youth build resilience in the agrifood system, despite the severe consequences of climate change and formidable social and economic challenges. It aims to inspire potential policies and programmes by portraying key needs, challenges and initiatives, as well as lessons...

Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), in collaboration with IIED, is implementing the project ‘Establishing a Biocultural Heritage Territory to protect Kenya’s Kaya forests’ in the Rabai Mijikenda community. Rabai sub-county forms part of the Coastal Forests global biodiversity hotspot, currently under threat. The project aims to conserve biodiversity and genetic resources...

Honeybees (Apis mellifera), wild bees, and other pollinators can be adversely affected by pesticides as well as other stressors, with potentially large economic and ecological consequences. Legislation is one possible tool which can be used to support actions to protect pollinators from pesticides. Several documents have been published at the...

Traditional mountain landscapes governed by Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) conserve unique wildlife and agrobiodiversity, and strongly support climate change adaptation and mitigation by protecting ecosystem services, including grasslands that store almost 50% more carbon than forests. But mountain biodiversity and the Indigenous and traditional peoples that sustain it are...

Livestock sector and One Health-related policies and laws provide the overarching framework that guides the development and transformation of the livestock sector. Local authorities, and in particular frontline animal health officers, are responsible for their implementation. To perform their function properly, frontline animal health officers should not only be technically...

Food trees contribute substantially to the food and nutrition security of millions of rural households in Africa. Farming communities prioritize tree and shrub species on farms based on a combination of factors, including their knowledge of potential uses the species' economic potential and a range of constraints and opportunities that...

In areas ravaged by droughts intensified by climate change, women from traditional cattle farming communities in Kenya are expanding their knowledge and skills so that they can get climate smart and adapt to an increasingly arid environment.

Smallholder farmers' use of solar-powered water pumps and other equipment creates opportunities to increase productivity and income. However, they generally struggle to get access to financing, quality farm inputs, advisory support and connections to markets. These challenges are felt more acutely by women and other marginalised farmers who typically do...

In the semi-arid lands of southern Kenya, a dynamic process of farmer-led irrigation has developed over the past two decades. It is characterised by short-term agreements to access land and water. Resident and migrant farmers, capital providers and local landowners have engaged in diverse partnerships to benefit from water and...

Partnerships between producer organizations (POs) and enterprises are promoted as a model for structuring value chains to integrate small producers more equitably and sustainably. They offer attractive opportunities, especially for smallholder producers and their organizations. However, they also pose risks, and failures still occur frequently. The lessons learned from capitalizing on four recent experiences...

"The Organic Farmer" (TOF) is the English version of the magazine for small-scale Kenyan farmers who previously had only very limited access to information on ecological farming. It is the only magazine for ecological farming in East Africa. Similarly unique is "Mkulima Mbunifu" (The Smart Farmer), the edition of TOF in Swahili....

This paper provides an early assessment of the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and of subsequent response measures on milk production, collection, processing, marketing and consumption in Africa. We focus on the period surrounding the first wave of the outbreak (from February to June 2020), during which the number of...

In Africa, agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP) accounts for more than 20 percent of the total GDP. The farmers’ income is mainly from the farming industry, and it accounts for more than 80 percent of total household income. However, despite Africa’s plentiful agricultural resources, the continent still faces serious food...

Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion (SHEP) Approach is an extension and advisory approach, aiming to help farmers to access and benefit from markets by changing their mindset from “Grow and Sell” to “Grow to Sell”.   It was developed through the technical cooperation project in Kenya and managed to double the...

Farmers in Kenya’s arid Tharaka Nithi county are growing fresh vegetables thanks to the use of an organic fertilizer known as bokashi. Made from a mix of farmyard waste, bokashi adds both nutrients and microorganisms to the soil, unlike chemical fertilizers that add only nutrients that are quickly consumed or washed...

For better nutrition outcomes, national fisheries and food policies in Kenya should include aquaculture in developing positive attitudes towards consumption of value-added fish products. Fish has become an important component of food systems in the global agenda for nutrition and food security, with the fisheries and aquaculture sector providing essential protein...

The Kenyan topbar hive is having great success in African and is gaining popularity in other continents. This hive model allows the transition from a traditional beekeeping with fixed comb hives, to a more sophisticated, but still easy to practice beekeeping. In fact, the advantage of this hive model is...

The following is an inspiring story from Kenya. "I don't use pesticides and inorganic fertilizers at all because my goal is to ensure that I farm sustainably," Kuria, who is among a rising number of farmers in the east African nation adopting the methods, told Xinhua in a recent interview.This...