Overview of the FAO - Government of Kenya Agrobiodiversity Programme FAO

1
Overview of the FAO - Government of Kenya
Agrobiodiversity Programme FAONetherlands
Partnership Programme(FNPP II - 2005 2007)
Collaboration for policy and strategic support
for sustainable ecosystems, rural livelihoods and
food security by Sally Bunning FAO-Rome and
Michael Makokha, FAO-Kenya
2
Guiding principles of Kenya strategic integrated
programme

• People centred (gender equity)
• Inter-sectoral process
• Strengthen existing programme activities  
• Policy impact in short/ medium term
• Ecosystem approach
• Opportunity to establish synergies
• Integrating water

Food Security
3 Themes
Agrobiodiversity
Forestry
3
AgBio Programme framework and linkages
Policy dialogue- mainstreaming AGBD, enabling
environment Harmonisation AGBD, FS, FO
3
Feedback
Integrated land use, resources and
agrobiodiversity assessment INRA
Status /trends of plant genetic resources
Specific studies markets and seed system
2
Specific databases-invasive spp.
Training institutes - information and curricula
devt.
1b
Local community FFS action in Lake Zone district
- fishing communities
Local community FFS action in Dryland district
-agropastoral communities
Case studies and policy briefs
1a
4
AGBD Programme responds to needs identified
Habitat management (beaches, user rights,
pollination) Integrated resources
management (agro-ecological approaches river
basin management, soil, water, biological
resources) Alternative livelihoods (fishing
communities) Invasiveness (e.g. Prosopis other
woody species. learning from fisheries) Responding
to HIV/AIDS (labour saving CA approaches,
nutrition, fisher-trader links) Drought
resilience (local varieties/species, runoof
management Markets - Seeds Networks (prices,
organisation, farming as a business)
5
Agrobiodiversity Programme (1) Local level FFS
in diverse farming systems/AEZ
Identifying and adapting agro-biodiversity
management options opportunities 1) Mwingi
district, semi-arid agro-pastoral ? drought
resilient, mixed systems 2. Bondo district,
Sub-humid Lake Zone ?sustainable, productive
aquatic and terrestrial systems 3. Coastal zone
INRA pilot
Link with drylands Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia
1
2
Link across Lake Victoria basin
6
Encourage partnerships for institutional capacity
building integrated NR management.

• Multiple Partners are identified for synergy and
  collaboration
• Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock
• Departments Resource survey and remote sensing
  Fisheries and forestry
• Ministry of Environment and Education
• technical bodies KARI, KEFRI, ICRAF,ITDG, JKU,
  ICRISAT, ILRI, KEMFRI...
• Community level District, FFS, Extension,
• Universities (Egerton, Moi, Jomo Kenyatta)
• Training colleges- teacher training, agriculture
  and forestry
• Partner organisations ICRISAT, Bioversity, ITDG,
  CIKSAP
• Aim attention/ development of a steering
  committee at policy level

7
LEARNING BY DOING REFLECTING
Observation
Analysis
Presentation
Synthesis /discussion
8
Identified General topics for FFS process

• Community resources management impacts
  (species, habitats, etc.)
• Changing customs and innovations (practices,
  by-laws, diet, recipes..)
• Local conservation strategies individual and
  communal
• Effects of markets and market development
• Ecological services e.g. pollination, beekeeping
  soil health, water
• Impact of cash crops (on systems, income,
  environment, security..)
• IPM, safe use and beneficial insect species
• Links with other actors (nutrition, health,
  business management etc.)

• Coast Farming, fish farming and fisheries in
  Lake Victoria basin
• Local vegetables (income, nutrition, ..)
• Alien species
• 2 fisheries scenarios river (aquaculture) and
  lake (catch)
• Upstream agric. and non-agricultural practices
  affecting aquatic area
• Changes in aquatic area (not only fish)
• Conservation and use e.g. products of wild
  harvested spp.such as Papyrus

• Mwingi Drought resilient agropastoral systems
• Genebank of local varieties
• Communal seed systems (storage)
• Effects of commercialised crops
• Drought resistant crops sorghum varieties
  green gram pigeon pea
• Resilient, productive systems (water harvesting
  etc.)

9
Expanding FFS to agro-pastoral communities?

• Challenges
• From individual farms to communal land
• Community extension facilitators
• Group experimentation
• Curriculum

10
1a)Targets farmer groups, extension/facilitators
PRA and AGBD study Identify issues for
FFS Curriculum development FFS Conduct and
evaluation Documenting process and lessons
FFS Resource management systems, land water,
Diversification- species, habitat management
Soil health, pollination, aquaculture fishery
LInKS
11
1.b) Targets extension and technical staff

• Curriculum development integrate AGBD in
  training
• Training materials/ short courses
• Livelihood approaches- HIV/AIDS, gender,
  nutrition
• Exchange between extension and training
• Workshops with colleges
• Development of Case studies and Policy briefs

FFS in Kenya
12
Example of a training module and FFS study

• Pollination is an important ecosystem function
  that affects crop production
• An ecosystem service critical in agriculture
• Determines plant diversity and food supply 60 of
  food plants insect pollinated
• Role in sustaining natural plant populations
• Direct influence on fruit set, seed set, fruit
  quality and quantity
• Work being conducted with Jomo kenyatta
  University (Grace Njoroge et al) developing
  training modules FFS study

13
Work on pollination in kenya

• Pollination has direct influence on yields even
  at low fertilizer levels
• Farmers have important local knowledge need to
  document and use
• Capacity building Need for interactive training
  and Public awareness on role on ecological
  functions e.g. pollination, soil biodiversity
  etc. to affect policy
• Assessment Need more surveys especially for
  crops in fragile ecosystems to monitor pollinator
  declines and causes with local people
• Adaptive management Strategy for conservation
  and management of pollination services
• Cashew nuts flies, ants and honeybees for nut
  development
• Coffee improves flavor
• Sunflower and cotton - oil output increased
• Coconut - bees yield doubled.

14
AgBio 2 Improving access to information
knowledge

• 2.a INRA Integrated natural resources (and
  biodiversity) assessment
• (builds on forest resources assessment)
• Assess available information and needs (status
  and trends - land use, habitat/species)
• Develop and pilot inter-sectoral methodology
  (AGBD, land use, land, water, other natural
  resources, ecosystem)
• Identify indicator and tools (field survey,
  transects, RRA-questionnaire)
• Capacity building (Participatory mapping and
  assessment RS, sampling,
• Compatible data, database development and
  analysis)

Targets technical capacity informed decision
making by policy makers/resource managers
15
Improving access to information knowledge
(continued)

• 2.b) Information systems on alien species in
  fisheries and forestry (for management and early
  warning)
• 2c) Information on plant genetic resources for
  food an agriculture
• Assess status of genetic resources with FFS
• Train people to collect and analyse data
• Improve the quality of information about PGRFA
  status and dynamics
• Contribute to reporting commitment to State of
  World report on PGRFA
• link with over 26 key PGR institutions
• Targets technical extension level (Partners
  Genebank, IPGRI..)

16
2d) Research on Managing Seed Systems to promote
the sustainable utilization of crop genetic
resources

• Two focus areas
• 1. Using markets to promote sustainable use of
  CGR
• How to manage seed systems to promote
  sustainable agriculture, improved farm welfare
  and in situ conservation of important crop
  genetic diversity. Methodology development
• Case studies Mali, Kenya, India, Mexico,
  Bolivia
• 2. Economic analysis of seed system impacts on
  farm welfare and on farm diversity
• Assessing the links between seed systems and
  farm level use of crops and varieties and their
  implications for welfare and diversity
• Case studies Ethiopia (Sorghum, Wheat)
  Mozambique (cowpea) India (Pearl Millet) Mexico
  (Maize) in partnership with IPGRI, ICRISAT,
  IFPRI, and CIMMYT

17
Work together to achieve happy healthy farmers
and ecosystems