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

2.6.2 How is it implemented?
Survey and informal group discussions were carried out to document the potential of beekeeping and also inventory
of traditional skills and knowledge. In collaboration with target communities priority areas for training and
appropriate beekeeping technologies were identified. To refine the results and discuss on survey findings feedback
workshops were conducted. Traditional beekeepers and representatives of women groups and local traders were
taken on an external study tour to visit and learn from other beekeepers. The introduction of modern beekeeping
technologies was carried out through participatory trainings and demonstrations. The initiatives were jointly
implemented by traditional beekeepers in the target area, women groups involved in postharvest of hive products,
local honey traders, community leaders and elders handling cases of hive vandalism, experienced model local
beekeepers, the livestock extension department and KARI research staff.
2.6.3 Up-scaling the technology
The beekeeping interventions will be replicated to other sites with beekeeping potential.
2.6.4 Contribution to overall DMP goals and objectives
Beekeeping is a viable alternative livelihood source (Output 4) that can generate additional income for the
households and thus alleviate poverty, whilst contributing to the maintenance and conservation of biodiversity. If
more communal land is reserved for family and clan apiaries, which is accompanied by control of resources, this
allows propagation of wild plants and animals and thus maintenance of biodiversity.
2.6.5 Project potential impact
At the moment about 80 households are engaged in beekeeping and bee products processing activities, with an
estimated gross income of about Ksh 600,000.00, which is very high income in this pastoral setting. At the terminal
stage of the project, it is expected that beekeepers will increase income from sale of more crude honey to about Ksh
3 million and about 200 households will be practicing beekeeping. There will be increased biodiversity as the area in
the communal land reserved for traditional beekeeping will increase.
2.7. Improved land, nutrient and water management
Agricultural production in ASALs is limited by low and erratic rainfall, high transpiration rates and generally fragile
ecosystems which are not suitable for rainfed agriculture. To improve crop production in these areas, sustainable
drought and dry spell mitigation farming methods are required.
Rainwater harvesting using tied ridges and open ridges are some of the cheap methods of mitigating dry spells. In
Makueni, DMP has demonstrated that tied ridges increase maize yields by over 50% above the conventional flat
tillage practices. The increase in yield, however, was significant when tied ridges are combined with integrated
nutrient management (INM). The objective of the project is therefore to promote and upscale these technologies for
crop production and environment conservation in the semi-arid areas of Makueni, Kajiado, Turkana and Marsabit
districts. The hypothesis is that combining water harvesting techniques with improved soil fertility will result in
higher efficiency of resources and increase in crop yields in the ASALs.
2.7.1 The basis for the technology’s success
Among various water conservation technologies available, tied ridging offers maximum potential for water
conservation. This technique involves creating a series of closely spaced rectangular depressions that prevent
redistribution of water within the field while concentrating water in the furrow. This allows rainwater to infiltrate
into the soil, preventing runoff and increasing moisture retention in the soil profile. However, both positive and
negative effects of tied ridging have been noted across seasons as well as locations in other parts of the world where
studies have been carried out. The contradictions may partly be due to variation in soil and climatic characteristics
among sites tested. Thus both soil characteristics and rainfall regime should be considered when evaluating the
effectiveness of tied-ridging in the ASALs. Studies have shown that tied ridges, when combined with fertility
management, increase crop yields by 50-100% when compared to yields from flat planting. Thus optimization of
land productivity should aim at having production systems that address both soil nutrients and water management.
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