Access to productivity enhancing technologies and proper management of transboundary pests can increase production and productivity among smallholder farmers. Conservation Agriculture (CA) stakeholders recognize the need to build the resilience of farmers to factors that lower farmer productivity including both underlying soil management factors and shocks such as transboundary pests like the Fall Armyworm (FAW). Given the complexity and scale of these challenges, a multi-stakeholder approach that takes into perspective a broader Climate Smart and resilience building practices approach is necessary.
National Conservation Agriculture Platforms and the regional Conservation Agriculture Regional Working Group (CARWG) aim to increase uptake of CA/CSA among farmers so as to increase production, productivity and build resilience of smallholder farmers. The CARWG, which comprises of members from National Conservation Agriculture/Climate Smart Platforms provides a platform for exchange of knowledge, skills and ideas on CA and CSA. Chairmanship of the Southern Africa CARWG is currently held by ACT based in Nairobi, Kenya.
ACT in collaboration with and funding from FAO organized a knowledge-sharing meeting for the Southern Africa CARWG National CA focal persons. The meeting was held in Nairobi, Kenya from 20th to 22nd March 2018. The purpose of the meeting was to expose the CA focal points to broad opportunities in CA/CSA equipment, create awareness on CA synergies to Push-Pull approaches to managing FAW as well as to share knowledge and lessons on CA promotion. The meeting was expected to increase the knowledge of participants to CA/CSA resilience building options for farmers through meeting discussions and presentations from experts, field excursions and training on multi-purpose tillage equipment.
Twenty-two participants (five women) from 12 SADC countries and 7 from Kenya attended the meeting. Day one of the meeting was held at Jacaranda hotel, Nairobi, followed by field visits to Nakuru and Mbita in day two and three respectively, where they visited Aquaponics farm, CA farmer adopters, CA equipment service providers, Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and Push-Pull technology at ICIPE in Mbita.
The participants were able to appreciate the importance and practicability of CA and CSA, the available and working options for FAW control by farmers and especially the biological options being promoted by ICIPE. Smallholder and large-scale CA mechanization options were demonstrated by the service providers. The meeting summed up with a call for closer collaboration between ACT, ICIPE and the Southern Africa Governments and stakeholders to mainstream CA and push-pull technologies as the sustainable and environment friendly methods to increase productivity, resilience to climate change and eradication of the fall army warm in Africa.