Conservation Agriculture as Climatic Change Adaptation Strategy for Farmers

 On 12^th July 2013 all roads led Kobama division at Catherine Anyango’s farm in Kasirime Kawanga sub-location near Apuoche Primary School. It was a magnificent farmers’ field day organized by the Ministry of Agriculture – Ndhiwa in collaboration with Adaptation to Climate insurance (ACCI) and Ndhiwa Maarifa Centre (ALIN).

The day’s theme was on ‘Conservation agriculture technology as an adaptation to climate change for enhanced productivity’. The organizers chose on this theme after the global realization of the changing rainfall patterns due to climate change yet 90% of the communities residing in this region are smallholder farmers who largely depend on rain fed agriculture.

On the demo site, Osako Women Group, the hosts, had two hybrid maize species and hybrid cassava that had done fairly well as compared to most farms due to shortage of rains in the region but where does the hint lye? The group had intercropped the maize with ‘Mikuna’ a cover crop that takes 6-8 months to mature but can last up to more than a year on site. The plant covers the entire land hence reduce soil moisture loss, suppresses weeds and the dropped leaves add humus to the soil; not forgetting that it is also a nitrogen fixing plant.

Come the second and third season, the farmer doesn't have to plough the land once again, s/he only make drills between the cover crop and sows but one has also to control Mikuna from choking the maize since it has it’s a climbing plant but has to be maintained to crawl on the farm ‘floor’. Not

e that Mikuna seeds can only be consumed after being processed. Otherwise the experts and guests who were present at the event were pleased by the rate of knowledge & technology uptake of the community encouraging them to come out and fight against food insecurity that has now become a threat in most regions.