ICRISAT Archival Report 2006 - The seedlings of success in the ...

production and rehabilitating the degraded areas. There is need to continue supporting these efforts for improved and
sustainable production in the rangelands.
The technologies being up-scaled are mainly in soil and water management and improvement of primary
productivity. The soil and water management technologies are:
(i) Run-off harvesting for improving soil moisture
(ii) Construction of water and soil micro-catchments
(iii) Construction of modified terraces
(iv) Restoration of gully eroded rangelands, and
(v) Development and adoption of integrated soil/water nutrient management methods.
Technologies for the improvement of primary productivity are:
(i) Plant species enrichment that involves introduction or increasing of the germplasm for improving ground cover
and production.
(ii) Bush management technologies that involve reduction of the woody vegetation to allow for increased
herbaceous production.
2.4.1 The basis for the technology’s success
The potential gain from increased herbage coupled with reduced soil loss and degradation makes this technology an
option for successful reseeding/revegetation of denuded ranges. However, it is only possible where farmers have
control and access of the land and where protection can be effected until the plants are fully established. There is
also need to out-scale the activities to cover more sites and communities both within the southern rangelands and
beyond.
2.4.2 How is it implemented?
The technologies were implemented using on-farm trials and demonstrations carried out at the village level where
all the farmers were involved through participatory adaptive research and development approaches.
2.4.3 Up-scaling the technology
The target areas for up-scaling these technologies are Makindu and Kibwezi divisions in Makueni district and
Mashuru and Loitoktok divisions of Kajiado district in the southern rangelands. The project will target about one
hundred households in each division over a three-year period. This will result in about four hundred households
being covered in the two districts with each having one or more improved technology.
2.4.4 Contribution to the overall DMP project goal and objectives
The project will contribute to the DMP goal of sustainable NRM and biodiversity conservation (Output 6).
2.4.5 Projected potential impact
The potential impacts are:
1. An increase of 10% in production through increased production in rehabilitated areas over a three year period.
2. A 10% increase in household nutrition through utilization of increased primary and secondary
production over a three year period.
3. Improved household income through sale of increased primary and secondary production.
2.5 Rehabilitation of deserts through planting of Acacia senegal trees in micro-catchments
The Acacia Operation Project is a project supporting food security and rural development of gums and resins in sub-
Saharan African countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya, Niger, Senegal and Sudan). This project aims to rehabilitate
degraded land by planting Acacia senegal using novel water harvesting technologies, improving livelihoods through
promotion of gums and resins production. The project is supported by FAO through Kenya Forestry Research
Institute (KEFRI) in the context of natural gums and resins in Africa-Natural Gums and Resins in Africa (NGARA).
The delphino plow was used for water harvesting in this project.
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