Report to the Government ISNAR R24 of Kenya q,. .,- - USAID LUL-/r Y N'DJAMENA KENYA AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH STRATEGY AND PLAN Volume 2: Priorities and programs December 1985 International Service for National Agricultural Research Contents List of Acronyms CHAPTER 1 Introduction CHAPTER 2 Soil and Water Management CHAPTER 3 Crop Production CHAPTER 4 Dryland Farming CHAPTER 5 Horticulture CHAPTER 6 Animal Production CHAPTER 7 Veterinary Research CHAPTER 8 Socio-economic Research and Farming Systems CHAPTER 9 Agribusiness CHAPTER 10 Research/Extension Linkages LIST OF ACRONYMS ADC Agricultural Development Corporation AERLC Agricultural Extension/Research Liaison and Communication AI Artificial Insemination AIC Agricultural Information Center ARD Agricultural Research Department of KARI BAT British American Tobacco Company CAIS Central Artificial Insemination Center CARS Coastal Agricultural Research Station, Mtwapa CBPP Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia CCPP Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia CGIAR Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research CIMMYT Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo CRF Coffee Research Foundation CRSP Small Ruminant Collaborative Research Support Program DAO District Agricultural Officer DEO Divisional Extension Officer DM Dry Matter (referring to plant material) DVS Director of Veterinary Services EATRO East African Trypanosomiasis Research Organization EAVRO East African Veterinary Research Organization ECF East Coast Fever FAO/UNDP Food and Agriculture Organization/United Nations Development Programme FTC Farmers Training Center FYM Farm Yard Manure GDP Gross Domestic Product GOK Government of Kenya GTZ Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit GmbH (German Technical Assistance) HCDA Horticultural Crops Development Authority IARC International Agricultural Research Centcr IBAR Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources ICIPE International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology IDS Institute of Development Studies, University of Nairobi ILCA International Livestock Centre for Africa ILRAD International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases IPAL Integrated Project for Arid Lands (UNESCO) IPM Integrated Pest Management KARI Kenya Agricultural Research Institute KCC Kenya Co-operative Creameries KETRI Kenya Trypanosomiasis Research Institute KFA Kenya Farmers Association KRE4U Kenya Rangeland Ecological Monitoring Unit LSU Livestock Unit MLD Ministry of Livestock Development MOA Ministry of Agriculture MOALD Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development NABC National Animal Breeding Council NAHRS National Animal Husbandry Research Station NARC National Agricultural Research Center NDDP National Dairy Development Program NHETP National Horticultural Extension Training Program NHRS National Horticultural Research Station NIDRC National Irrigation and Drainage Research Center NORAD Norwegian Agency for Development NRC National Research Center NRRS National Rangeland Research Station NSWMRC National Soil Water Management Research Center OAU Organisation of African Unity ODA Overseas Development Administration of the U.K. PAD Provincial Agricultural Director PAREAC Provincial Agricultural Research and Extension Advisory Committee PDA Provincial Director of Agriculture PDVS Provincial Director of Veterinary Services RRC Regional Research Center RTDU Rural Technology Development Unit SMS Subject Matter Specialist SRD Scientific Research Division TA Technical Assistant TLU Tropical Livestock Unit TRF Tea Research Foundation T&V Training and Visit Extension Model UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation USAID United States Agency for International Development VIL Veterinary Investigation Laboratory VRD Veterinary Research Department (of KARI) WHO World Health Organization CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.0 It is widely accepted that no agricultural research system in any country, however well funded and organized, can attempt to solve all the problems affecting agricultural production; certainly not in a developing country such as Kenya, where there is a mosaic of different agro-ecological zones, a limited area of high- and medium-potential land, rapid degradation of resources in the semi-arid and arid areas, a changing agricultural tenure situation, and a very rapidly increasing population. Under these circumstances, priorities for agricultural research must be established and available resources allocated to the solution of those problems that will contribute most to the overall development objectives of the nation. A strategy for development during the next four years has been publishted by the Government of Kenya (GOK) - the Fifth Development Plan (1964 - 88). Specific objectives include: the improvement of food production; promotion of employment in agriculture; expansion of agricultural exports; conservation of resources; and the alleviation of poverty. The most urgent short-term objectives are an expansion in food production and employment and the alleviation of poverty, but of major importance in the long term is the conservation of resources. Unless increased production and conservation of resources can be achieved at the same time, the future will be sacrificed for immediate present gains - a short-sighted and disastrous policy. Agricultural exports are also of major importance to the economy, but cannot be produced at the expense of food supplies for a rapidly increasing population or of the conservation of resources. Thus, in choosing priorities for agricultural research, there must inevitably be an element of compromise. Not only is it essential that agricultural research priorities should be established, but within the research organization the methods by which these can be established and the programs implemented merit attention, as do the methods by which research results can be translated into farm practice. In the past, when the research service was primarily concerned with seeking solutions for the problems of large scale and relatively well-educated farmers, socioeconomic research was neglected and the extension service was somewhat limited in scope. Changes in land tenure, with smallholdings replacing large farms in high-potential areas, and a very rapidly increasing farm population in the medium and semi-arid areas have produced a situation in which socioeconomic research, particularly the study of crop and livestock production systems, must be accorded higher priority and where the introduction of improved research/extension linkages are essential (Chapters 8 and 10). In addition, the growth of agribusiness, particularly for the production and marketing of food and export crops, requires a reappraisal of the relationship between GOK and private agricultural research organizations (Chapter 9). 2 1.1 Conservation of Resources Kenya is a land of climatic and topographical contrasts: tropical beaches at the coast arid snow on the highest peaks; well-watered temperate conditions in the central highlands and dry, near-desert conditions in the north and northeastern pastoral regions. As a consequence, a very wide range of temperate and tropical crops can be grown, many different types of domestic livestock can be husbanded, and there is a wealth of wildlife. Land and water resources are, kiowever, very limited. Almost three-quarters of the country consists of semi-arid and arid lands, the major part of which is occupied by pastoralists. Of that area of land considered suitable for crop agriculture, only 16 percent is located in high-potential areas and 29 percent in transitional zones, while more than half is in the semi-arid and arid regions. The latter suffei from vdrying degrees )f severe moisture stress that limit crop and animal choice and production. Even the transitional zones suffer a considerable degree of moisture stress due to high evaporativu water losses. In addition, surface water resources are limited, there being few major rivers in Kenya. This restricts ir';ation possibilities, estimates of which are provided in Chapter 2. Measures to stop present degradation and to ensure future conservation of soil and water resources must be taken. Unfortunately, there has been little research in Kenya on soil and water management, on the operation of livestock systems in the pastoral regions, and on farming systems in the dryland farming areas. Without an adequate knowledge of soil and water management and how the pastoral livestock and dryland farming systems operate, it is very difficult for the GOK to formulate and establish a rational conservation policy. Thus, some of the most important overall research priorities are: - the establishment of a National Soil/Water Management Research Center at Katumani (discussed in detail in Chapter 2); - investigation of existing farming systems in the dryland farming areas and elsewhere (discussed in Chapter 8); - investigation of livestock systems in the pastoral regions (discussed in Chapter 6); - generation and application of improved technologies for increased crop and livestock production in the major zones of agricultural production. It is not only essential to prevent loss of topsoil by introducing adequate soil conservation and other measures, but it is equally important to prevent a decline in soil fertility. This can be achieved by the proper use of legumes in crop rotations and in pastures and by the efficient use of fertilizers, both chemical and organic. The GOK has stated that irrigation development will receive priority, but because water resources in Kcnya are limited,