PAMACC News: The African Forest Forum (AFF) has in the last two years carried out research works on strengthening sustainable management of Africa’s forests and trees outside forests and the role they play in meeting global and national climate change mitigation goals. In collaboration with the Network for Natural Gums and Resins in Africa (NGARA) and forest experts, results of the research carried out in fifteen African countries is now shared with other stakeholders to strengthen the capacity of public and private forest institutions for sustained development outcomes in the sector and especially in the fight against climate change.According to AFF executive secretary Godwin Kowero,the science-based knowledge sharing on forest management is carried out via national and regional webinars to help participants " learn from policy and forest governance processes that hold potential to cultivate better responses in the forestry sector to the climate change opportunities and challenges on the continent. The webinars accordingly is taking place under the theme, " National responses to the Paris Agreement and promoting gums and resins in Africa for resilience to climate change.” Speaking at the opening of the webinars in Francophone Africa[Cameroon,Benin and DRC] GODWIN Kowero noted that good governance and collaboration among the different stakeholders was key in the drive towards sustainable management and wise use of these resources for the benefit of present and future generations."We need to work in synergy to attain expected results in forest management and the fight against climate change" Gonwin Kowero said. The importance of a sound governance system in forest management was corroborated by the representative of the Central African Forestry Commission,COMIFAC.According to the deputy executive secretary and technical coordinator of COMIFAC, Chouaibou Nchoutpouen, the different countries in Africa must respect the global environmental governance system that is built on agreements including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its landmark agreement reached in Paris in 2015, to combat climate change and accelerate and scale up the actions and investment needed for future sustainable low carbon future " Countries-parties to this agreement are required to formulate their national visions to address climate change while demonstrating at the international level their politican will and readiness to contribute to global adaptation and mitigation efforts. A stronger response from governments and public organisations, communities and and private sectors is therefor required for results oriented actions" Chouaibou said at the opening of the Webinar workshop in Douala. Marie Louis Avana of AFF Cameroon reiterated on the role women play in pushing the drive in suatainable forest management. " The African Forest Forum understands the important role women play in promoting forest management and thus leaving no stone unturned to encourage their actions she said.In another presentation on the enhancement of African Forest Governance in response to Paris Agreement and related Global Climate policies and initiatives by FOKABS, Ngwa Elvis Suh, emphasised on the importance of improved governance systems in the forest sector to meet global and national ambitions. A study carried out by FOKABS was presented with…

MAKHANDA, South Africa (PAMACC News) - A comparative study exploring the challenges farmers face in two cattle-farming provinces in South Africa and Kenya shows that trader or broker market control, prevalent in Kenya, should be avoided in South Africa as market access for farmers is improved. It further identifies the Meat Naturally Initiative (MNI) in the Eastern Cape as a successful case study that, with proper co-ordination agricultural national extension office, could be replicated in both countries to tackle these challenges and increase the access and participation of small-scale farmers in beef markets. The study, conducted by Professor Cyril Nhlanhla Mbatha, director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at Rhodes University, identifies poor production methods and limited market access as critical challenge clusters that prevent small African farmers in both countries from developing. In cattle farming in particular, poor grazing practices and a lack of vaccination produce poor quality animals. Limited information, poor infrastructure and cultural issues are some of the factors leading to low participation levels of these farmers in livestock markets. The study compares how some of the common challenges in cattle production and market access have, to varying degrees, been overcome in both countries. Mbatha says that a higher number of rural South African farmers remain excluded from different parts of the value chains of formal beef markets compared to Kenya, and even though they own large herds of cattle, their contribution to the country’s demand for beef remains marginal. “Rural South African small farmers are generally faced with high production and marketing challenges, which prevent them from developing into successful commercial farmers. In terms of business operations, South African small communal farmers lack many of the prerequisite elements that make for innovative competitive markets. Many South African small farmers are still operating within mainly traditional systems with respect to livestock farming.” Mbatha says challenges in managing livestock and in improving businesses also stem from the fact that there are many more farmers who own smaller numbers of herds, rather than fewer farmers owning bigger herds. “In limited capacities of communal grazing areas this would lead to conflicts among livestock owners on land management issues. This has a direct negative impact on the health and number of Large Stock Units raised per hectare of land. It also impacts markets, as buyers need to search for good quality product.” Most studies agree that transaction cost issues are core to most challenges faced by small livestock farmers. “Costs of transporting stock to and from markets are a barrier. Ultimately these costs force farmers to adversely select themselves out of formal markets, which leaves them with limited prospects, says Mbatha. “This gap is a clear opportunity for the agricultural extension office to coordinate these information flows.” Mbatha says that while Kenyan small rural farmers face similar production challenges as those faced by their SA counterparts, they are more advanced in their level of participation in formal markets. However, the farmers’ lack of resources including infrastructure to transport…

MAKUENI, Kenya (PAMACC News) - Justus Kimeu, a resident of Kithiani village in the heart of Makueni County has demonstrated to his villagers that by using innovative agronomy practices, the little rainfall in the semi arid county can be sufficient to produce sufficient yields of maize and other crops.Kimeu is one of the farmers who have embraced the Regenerative Agriculture (RA) technique, which is being piloted in the county by AGRA, the Cereal Growers Association (CGA) among other partners.RA is a dynamic and holistic way of farming that involves all the principals of permaculture and organic farming techniques, such as minimum tillage, use of cover crops, crop rotation, terracing to reduce soil erosion, heavy mulching to keep the soils moist, use of basins to preserve water and use of compost manure to give the topsoil a texture of virgin fertile arable land.According to Dr Agnes Kalibata – AGRA President, putting nature at the heart of agriculture and land management can unlock huge benefits for people, health and the environment. “Productive and regenerative agricultural systems that combine local, indigenous and traditional knowledge and techniques such as crop rotation and tree planting with advanced farming technologies like drip irrigation and seed selection can increase yields, reduce input requirements, boost transparency, and improve the incomes and livelihoods of smallholder farmers,” said the AGRA President.“The RA system is actually returning the topsoil back to its original form,” said Michael Mutua, an Associate Program Officer in charge of Regenerative Agriculture at AGRA.With a dismal rainfall of 250mm to 400mm per annum, Kimeu’s one and a half acre piece of land stands out in the entire village. The deep green maize crop with two to three cobs per stem is a rare spectacle in this rainfall scarce. Under normal circumstances, such a crop can only be found in Western Kenya and the Rift Valley regions which receive more than 1250mm per annum. “When I decided to implement this technique, my farm was bare without much vegetation. So I started by making terraces and after it rained, different weeds sprouted. Together with my family members we uprooted all the weeds and left them on the farm to dry and decompose before making small basins in which we were going to plant the crop,” explained the farmer.The basins were then filled with organic manure and some topsoil. And when it rained for the second time, hybrid and drought tolerant maize variety seeds were planted inside the moist basins, and any weed that sprouted was manually uprooted and left to rot on the farm.“We try as much as possible to avoid tillage or any form of disturbing the soil for it to regenerate naturally to its original form,” he said noting that he also avoided use of convectional fertilizers on the farm.According to AGRA’s Mutua, basins filled with manure can conserve soil moisture for a very long time. As well, compost manure releases soil nutrients slowly, thus keeps the soil fertile for a few seasons unlike the convectional fertilizers…

PAMACC News (Meru, Kenya) - Armed with a ‘mulika mwizi’ mobile phone gadget, Simon Kailikia, a 33 year old smallholder farmer from Baraimu village, Tigania West in Meru County has been able to triple his farm produce, thanks to a phone based platform known as e-Granary. “Once again, we are expecting another bumper harvest in the next few weeks,” Kailikia told the Seeds of Gold as he patrolled his five acre piece of land under maize crop.It is the fourth season he is using the e-Granary platform, which ensures that registered smallholder farmers have access to quality certified seeds and relevant farm inputs, access to finance (credit) to fund their activities, insurance cover in case of natural calamities, access to information about Good Agricultural Practice (GAP), and above all, access to weather and climate information so that crops are planted at the right time – all on a mobile phone platform.After the harvest, registered farmers through their groups bring together all their produce and using the mobile platform, they can access the market collectively.“There is clear evidence that Africa’s full agricultural potential remains untapped due to use of incorrect farm inputs, late planting, use of poor seeds, inadequate financing, lack of structured markets and lack of insurance cover to cushion smallholder farmers whenever they suffer losses based on the changing climatic conditions and related calamities,” said Mutiga Wanjohi, of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa.The e-Granary is a commercial solution developed by the East African Farmers Federation (EAFF) to improve social-economic status of smallholder farmers in 10 African countries in collaboration with governments, UN, Nongovernmental organisations and the private sector.“We strive to effectively organize and aggregate the otherwise dispersed producer base, in order to achieve scale and engage as a significant stakeholder in the agricultural economy,” said Robert Kubai, the Evaluation and Learning Specialist at the EAFF.According to Kailikia, it is the first time he has seen the benefit of smallholder farming despite having been brought up in a farming family.“I was brought up in a farming family, and all through my life, I knew that farming was an activity for people who do not have any meaningful work to do,” said Kailikia. “But today, I have come to appreciate that farming is a sustainable business, beyond hand to mouth survival,” he said.Kailikia says that his life changed when Baraimu Mathio Self Help Group was introduced to the e-Granary. “For all these years, I never knew that the five acre piece of land under my name had such a huge potential,” said the youthful farmer, and the chair of the group.Before, he used to plant any seed that was available, sometimes without fertilisers and without following recommended agronomic practices.However, in 2018, after registering with the e-Granary, he received certified maize seed and necessary farm inputs at the right time on credit. Using the mobile phone platform, he received a short message instructing him on when to plant. And later, he was alerted when the time for topdressing came.“I…