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REPUBLIC OF KENYA

COUNTY ASSEMBLY OF LAIKIPIA

REPORT

OF THE

AGRICULTURE ENVIRONMENT, AND NATURAL RESOURCE COMMITTEE

VISIT TO LATIA AND YATTA RESOURCE CENTERS

Dated: 11th

February 2015

THIRD SESSION 2015

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PREFACE

Mr. Speaker sir, on behalf of the members of the Agriculture Environment and Natural

Resources Committee and pursuant to the provisions of standing Order No.191, it’s my pleasure

and honor to present to the House, the visit to Latia and Yatta resource centers on 9th

to 11th

October 2014 and 13th

to 15th November 2014.

COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

The Agriculture Environment, and Natural Resources committee was constituted by the house on

3rd

May 2013 and comprises of the following members:-

Hon Paul leshuel - Chairman

Hon Daisy Maitho - Vice Chair

Hon Wilson Waithaka - Member

Hon Peter K Ngari - Member

Hon Rose Wangu - Member

MANDATE (S.O 191 (5))

The Agriculture, Environment and Natural resources in pursuant to Standing order 191 is

mandated to all matters related to agriculture, including crop and animal husbandry, livestock

sale yards, county abattoirs, plant and animal disease control and fisheries, implementation of

specific national government policies on natural resources and environmental conservation,

including soil and water conservation and forestry and control of air pollution, noise pollution,

other public nuisances and outdoor advertising.

Pursuant to Standing Order 191(5) the functions of the committee are as follows;

a) To investigate, inquire into, and report on all matters relating to the mandate,

management, activities, administration, operations and estimates of the assigned

departments;

(b) To study the programme and policy objectives of departments and the effectiveness of

the implementation;

(c) To study and review all county legislation referred to it;

(d) To study, assess and analyze the relative success of the departments as measured by

the results obtained as compared with their stated objectives;

(e) To investigate and inquire into all matters relating to the assigned departments as they

may deem necessary, and as may be referred to them by the County

Assembly;

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(f) To vet and report on all appointments where the Constitution or any law requires the

County Assembly to approve, except those under Standing Order 184 (Committee on

Appointments); and

(g) To make reports and recommendations to the County Assembly as often as

possible, including recommendation of proposed legislation.

AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCK, IRRIGATION AND FISHERIES DEVELOPMENT

BACKGROUND

The agricultural potential in the county is quite prospective and is characterized by highly

potential farming lands particularly in the South Western parts of the county. Over 20 per cent of

the county’s total land is arable. The total area under crops is about 1,984 Km2 of which 80 per

cent is under food crops. Over 60 per cent of households derive their livelihood from agricultural

activities. Majority of the farming households are small scale holders whose average farm land

size is 2 acres mainly for food production. The farm size for large scale holder on average is 20

acres mainly for wheat and maize production. The ranching community holds an average of

10,000 acres. In 2012, crop farming and livestock keeping sub-sector employed 141,383 persons

comprising 47 per cent of the employed population. Agriculture contributes 75 per cent of the

household incomes. The main crops grown are maize, beans, wheat, Irish potatoes, cabbages

and tomatoes. The main types of livestock raised are cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys,

poultry and pigs.

Diversification of crop production to spread risks and provide alternative sources of food and

income will continue to be enhanced. The introduction, promotion and production of drought

resistant crops such as sorghum, millet, cassava and sweet potatoes have increased food output.

Irrigation along the rivers Pesi, Nanyuki and Ngobit has provided alternative means of livelihood

through production of horticultural crops. Appropriate post-harvest handling of crops to

minimize losses at farm level and increase shelf life of produce has been put in place but there is

need to upscale these efforts. There will be need to enhance crop protection measures against

routine and migratory pests to minimize pre harvest crop losses. Farmers have been sensitized on

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proper conservation of water resources and soil for sustained crop production through use of

conservation agriculture.

The effect of climate change has manifested itself in increased intensity and frequency of erratic

weather patterns like floods and droughts. The resultant impacts of the erratic weather patterns in

the county include; decreased volume of surface and ground water resources, reduced land

productivity leading to loss of pasture and arable land and famine especially in areas within the

vicinity of Daiga, Matanya, Ol Moran, Kimanju, Pesi, Kirimon and Doldol. Other effects include

increased conflicts (Human/wildlife, Human/human) and loss of forest cover.

Laikipia County has a great potential of producing enough for the population without relying on

the outside county’s support. From the background, it is very clear a high percentage of the

population in the county relies on agriculture for upkeep however, productivity is still very low.

Lack of appropriate farming skills has been the challenge of most of the farmers as a way of

enhancing production. There are a number of rivers providing sufficient water for irrigation.

Farmers practice mixed farming, and cropping although climatic changes have continuously

affected the activities. The agriculture department is committed to improve the sectors

performance and hence the need to visit a resource centre to consider options of setting up one in

the county to assist educate the farmers on modern farming as well as soil Ph tests.

VISIT TO LATIA RESOURCE CENTER ON 9TH

TO 11TH

OCTOBER 2014

The CEC agriculture, livestock, irrigation and fisheries development Laikipia County identified

Latia Resource Centre and organized the visit. He welcomed the Agriculture, livestock, irrigation

and fisheries committee to pay a visit with him to the facility and learn more and realize the

possibility of setting up one in the county either through partnership or own financing.

OBJECTIVES OF THE VISIT

1. Understand the operations of the resource centre

2. Assess the possibility of setting up such a center in Laikipia County.

Introduction

Latia Resource Center (Latia) is a not for profit Kenyan Company whose mission is to empower

farmers and Small and Medium Enterprises by providing hands-on training, on-the-ground

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demonstration, outreach and technical assistance to stimulate Entrepreneurship and Sustainable

Economic growth. Latia aims to strengthen farmers’ productive capacity and enable them to

continue producing food into the future.

Entrepreneurial Agriculture Training

The key focus Latia Resources Center is to provide hands-on training and technical support to

entrepreneurs interested in starting or improving their own farms, running an agribusiness, or

gaining employment in the agribusiness sector.

Training is done mainly through short courses in the following areas:

1. Horticulture: - fruits & vegetables (open fields & green house)

2. Dairy

3. Piggery

4. Agri-business

5. Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

6. Value addition of farm products

The visiting team in the centers farm

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Latia uses accredited curricula in its training to allow trainees to expand into higher levels of

training in colleges and university if they wish to do so.

Latia training programs are constantly aligned to the current needs of the market with a strong

focus on agri-business to strengthen the link between training and needs of industry and

agriculture overall.

Latia is currently developing an online training portal to reach larger numbers of farmers and

entrepreneurs with its training programs without having to open up many facilities in different

places. The portal will have both web and mobile capabilities and will mainly target the youth in

Agriculture and Agribusiness.

Demonstration and training farm

Latia operates a demo farm which is operated fully as a commercial unit. The farm has small

Horticulture, Dairy, Pig and other relevant livestock which are used to provide practical

experience to trainees and show best practice to visiting farmers. The farm units are fully

commercial working small and medium farms committed to sustainable farming practices and to

researching and pioneering new approaches to farming and agribusiness. A value addition unit is

under construction and will be used to train farmers and entrepreneurs on value-added activities

related to the processing and or marketing of agricultural products.

Harvested butter nuts

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Fish farming

Poultry farming

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Sheep and goat rearing

Dairy farming

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Rabbit rearing

Piggery

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Development programs

Latia Resource Center also works with donor funding to offer training and technical support to

the small holder farmers and pastoralists who may not afford to pay for these services on their

own. Most of the farmers and pastoralists are already struggling to adapt to rapidly rising

temperatures and more erratic rains and risk being completely overwhelmed by the pace and

severity of climate change. Latia’s projects for this group are geared towards providing the tools

and know how necessary to adapt farming practices to ensure resilience in the face of changing

climatic conditions and to sustainably increase agricultural productivity. Latia’s ultimate goal is

to grow the ability of farmers and pastoralists to employ climate-smart technologies and unlock

the enormous potential for smallholder-led agricultural growth in Kenya. Some of the Climate

Smart technologies that Latia will promote include:

1. Rain water harvesting and storage

2. Agro-forestry

3. Home solar systems for lighting and heating

4. Renewable farm energy (Solar & bio gas)

5. Energy saving cooking systems

6. Conservation agriculture

7. Mechanization for small farms (energy-efficient machinery)

8. Organic fertilizers (Composting systems)

9. Small livestock production

10. Fodder and feeds production

Farm management & consultancy services

Latia Resource Center (Latia) works with aspiring and existing farmers, to introduce improved

technologies and to deliver farm management services with the goal of significantly improving

efficiency, productivity and profitability of farms. We offer a complete project solution to any

farmer including farm design, construction and management services.

Farm Design

Latia professionally designs a complete commercial pig farm of any size as per your financial

objectives and capability. Our farm designs will come with full architectural drawings, Bills of

Quantities and Comprehensive Business plans with 5 years Cash Flow projections included.

Farm Construction

Latia organizes and supervises the construction of the farm buildings and installation of

equipment. We will ensure that all the approvals from NEMA and other regulatory Government

agencies are obtained and that your farm fully complies with County and National laws.

Livestock Stocking

Latia selects, procures and stocks your farm with quality breeding animals to ensure that your

production and financial objectives will be attained as planned.

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Farm Services

Once your farm is set up Latia provide services which ensure efficient operation and attainment

of desired profitability. These services include:

1. Hiring and training of farm managers and other technical staff.

2. Provision of veterinary services i.e. pest/disease management as well Artificial

insemination (AI)

3. Organizing financing and insurance

4. Installation farm management software that allows better farming planning and

control

5. Supply of quality guaranteed farming inputs

6. Supply of key equipment and machinery.

7. Marketing of farm produce.

Kiln- for storing onions

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Conclusions

The visit to the resource center is an eye opener to the agriculture committee. Farming practices

within the farm are simple and practical. Simple technology is being utilized in the farm. The

climatic conditions in Isinya fit so well with the condition in Laikipia. Pastoralism is practiced by

the highest population in the region this also involves traditional farming practices.

The farm is also in a position to sustain itself through the operations which includes selling of

farm produce to the neighboring communities. The agricultural challenges faced in Kajiado

County are not very different from the ones faced in Laikipia county, traditional practice of

livestock rearing are also practiced in the county. The best practices of livestock rearing are

usually practiced and enhanced in the resource center.

The population which live near rivers practice irrigation for business. However the selling

immediately after harvesting makes most of the farmers make loses. The resource center has set

up a kiln to ensure the onions dries up and remains fresh for up to a period of three months

before they are sold. The materials used to construct the kiln are affordable and hence farmers

can be in a position to construct in their farms. These kilns will ensure that farmers will sell their

produce when the market price rises.

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VISIT TO CHRISTIAN IMPACT MISSION ON13TH-15TH NOVEMBER 2014

About CIM

Christian Impact Mission (CIM) is a Non- Political, Non-denominational, Non-governmental

development agency that has continuously sought to develop Models and Training tools for

community Transformation. CIM has developed a 10 point community transformation model in

Makutano- Yatta, a community in the semi-arid part of Machakos County in Eastern Kenya. The

initiative has sought to combat the existing challenges brought about by the constant drought and

famine experienced in the area and associated with climate change and other socio-cultural

dynamics. The success evidenced by the transformation of the community in Yatta has seen CIM

replicating the model in all over East Africa in partnership with different NGOs, Churches and

Government institutions, Central and County governments in what is seen as a paradigm shift in

the approach towards development.

Laikipia county Assembly agriculture committee and executive visit to the resource center

The county department of agriculture, fisheries and irrigation organized a trip for its members to

the CMI resource center. The intention was to expose the members into the modern farming

methods. The visit aimed at ensuring a transformative mind of the agriculture experts in the

county and stakeholders to embrace change in farming methods in the county.

Honorable members upon arrival at the resource centre

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Laikipia county leaders in a session

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CIM's Transformation Model

The Bishop explained to the delegation a 10 point community transformation model in

Makutano-Yatta, a community in semi-arid part in the Eastern province of Kenya. Yatta people

had for a long time depended on relief food from the government and other agencies.

Instead of focusing on community projects, CIM employed a series of participatory approaches

to motivate members at household level and help them to identify their needs, finally coming up

with an appropriate exit strategy, owned and driven by the people themselves and in turn

bringing in a proper perspective to donor relations and funding.

Dubbed Operation Mwolyo Out (where Mwolyo implies unhealthy dependence)- OMO, the

program has seen tremendous success in its five years of existence with the community once

rated among the poorest in Kenya now boasting of successful climate change mitigation

practices, food security, poverty alleviation and wealth creation being a present reality.

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Seedlings awaiting transfer to the farm

OMO's Ten Point Plan

OMO's Ten point plan considered as CIM's transformation pillars are:

1. Community mobilization

2. One acre rule (Domestic climate change adaptation model)

3. Gender in development

4. Integration in development

5. Market linkage

6. Value addition and village commercialization

7. Investment

8. Agri nutrition

9. Environmental concerns

10. Advocacy

OMO - Counteracting Dependency

Operation Mwolyo Out (OMO) begun as an intervention when there were reports all over the

Media of cases of death due to the famine that had stricken.

Yatta was however worse hit as there were reports of people eating cooked mangoes, dogs and

donkeys. The women even started selling their bodies to truck drivers along Garissa road. The

worst case however, was when a lady died a few days after giving birth to a set of twins. This

was first captured in the Nation television before the story later on became viral.

Giving out of food rations was however not an end in itself. As a family and an organization, we

used the mileage we had generated and in partnership with the local Church, we mobilized

further for a more permanent solution. That is why people can visit from all over to see a

transformed people and learn about transformation from us. We refused to be merely donors

Relief as it is can never be sustainable. Counteracting dependency needs to be any development

practitioner's primary goal. Dependency in the community must be reduced by every action you

take. When training a community organization how to obtain resources, the facilitator must keep

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that primary goal in mind and act accordingly. A donor agency should try to avoid giving the

community anything for nothing. That is what encourages dependency Visit us at the CIM site in

Yatta and be a witness of this amazing transformation. It would also be an amazing opportunity

to interact with the CIM and the Yatta community as her whole. For more details, feel free to talk

to us. Check our contacts for more info.

From rain-fed agriculture to water pans

Yatta region in Machakos County has been facing hunger and starvation for a long time.

Residents had been relying on rain fed agriculture which proved unsustainable. Crop failure was

been experienced due to low rainfall. CIM led a campaign to encourage the residents to adapt

irrigation strategies as a way of salvaging their crops. Bishop Dr. Titus Masika started a

campaign to ensure all the farmers around the area stopped relying on rain-fed agriculture and

instead dig water pans to store water during the rainy seasons to be used for farming.

A water pan at the CIM resource centre

The residents adopted digging of water pans to hold water for irrigating their crops within the

region which has made irrigation easier. According to the Bishop, approximately 2,000

boreholes have been dug up in the region to store up water for irrigation.

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Adapting technology for water conservation

Water scarcity and high temperatures in the region whose temperatures are similar to those in

most regions in Laikipia County has led the residents into adapting water conservation measures

to reduce loss of water. Drip irrigation and mulching is encouraged to be carried out in the farms.

This system will ensure less will be used and reduce mulching. Bishop Masika stressed on

ensuring that farmers in ASAL need to adapt the method as opposed to overhead irrigation which

leads to loss of water.

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OMO - Success Story

Yatta Model Transformation program otherwise known as Operation Mwolyo Out Movement

(OMO) within its first year of inception made tremendous strides by turning into a

transformation movement. The program was launched in March 2009. By then, it covered a

small village, but before the end of the year, it had over 3000 active members. Within the first

year, over 1000 water pans spread over a radius of 30 km were constructed by the members.

Most of the members had formed into small operation groups and were willing to work together

a company in Nairobi contracted farmers to grow French beans for export. Growing of water

melons, sweet potatoes also became common. The program area has turned green while the

neighboring districts are crying for the government to make water available to them.

Local’s story

The success of adapting irrigation in farming was evident during the visit. The locals have dug

water pans and according to the Bishop one of the pre-requisites for marrying is to possess a

water pan for the young men. This has increased productivity of their farms. The locals have

produced enough to feed their households as well as sell to the nearby and ready markets in

Thika and Nairobi. This has improved their income levels and hence the economic conditions are

getting better.

A story was told by a lady of how they used to travel for a long distance in search of water for

domestic use. According to her women used to travel at night for more than twenty kilometers in

search of water. They would leave their husbands and children asleep and come in the morning

to prepare breakfast and prepare their children for school. This was their lifestyle and never at

imagined living this kind of life. There was drought in the area and their husbands ran away from

their homes in search of jobs in the towns. Women and children were left starving at home.

When CIM came in and taught them how to adopt modern methods of farming, they readily

agreed and they dug water pans for each other as a group. They harvested rain water in the pans

and tried growing a different type of crop which was drought resistant instead of the obvious

maize and beans.

Adapting modern farming methods and agreeing to change the type of crops farmed has helped

the farmers in the region to unleash their potential. Most farmers believe that there is only a

given type of crop they should grow. But the crop they are growing happens not to be favored by

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the type of crop being grown. Growing of sweet potatoes has proved very successful in the

region.

In picture: a resident telling her success story

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Recommendations

1. That the County Government of Laikipia do establish the crops likely to thrive under the

climatic conditions being experienced.

2. That a campaign be conducted by the county government and members of the County

assembly do ensure farmers adopt Agribusiness.

3. That the county government do come up with a budgetary allocation for the

establishment of a Laikipia farmers training center. The center will provide metrological

information, marketing information and quick and timely response to signs of drought,

crop failure and crop diseases. The center should also have demonstration units to train

farmers on new technologies.

4. That the County government do facilitate the agriculture Field officers to ensure they

reach out to the farmers in the county and check on the progress of their crops

5. That the County government should come up with a Crop disease control initiative to

ensure crop diseases are controlled before they spread out and affect the crops.

6. That the County government should ensure Supply of the right seeds to the farmers by a

pre-qualified supplier who have been tested and approved by experts within the county to

avoid supply of low quality seeds.

7. That the County government should ensure that Water harvesting is encouraged at

household level by construction of water pans.

8. That the county government do enter into partnership with LAITA resource center to

train farmers as a way of improving agriculture production both in food crop and

livestock.

9. That the County government do ensure huge investments have to been undertaken on the

agriculture center land which will include a good source of water for irrigating the land to

ensure continuous supply of water. The source of the finances can be through donors or a

budgetary allocation.

10 That the County Government do make sure that the proposed Laikipia resource center be

autonomous to ensure that its operations of the center do not stall due to the

government’s bureaucracy.

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Mr. Speaker Sir, May I take this opportunity to sincerely thank all the members of the

Agriculture Environment and Natural Resources Committee for their Commitment and

dedication. The offices of the Clerk and Speaker for their support and adequate facilitation not

forgetting all other honorable members for their valuable input.

Thank you.

Signed …………………………………................. Date……………………….…

Hon. Paul Leshuel

(Chairman)