January - June 2008 - Kenya Agricultural Research Institute

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Community animal health info kiosk: Access to information can improve disease control and support poverty reduction strategies since most of the poor live in information–exclusion. Participants recommended that KARI Muguga North look into the feasibility of setting up an info kiosk for sharing livestock health knowledge, enable farmers generate researchable issues and sustain partnerships. “Bangladesh system”: Participants envisioned a time when indigenous poultry farmers in Kenya would be organized and adapt a village system specifically for rearing and growing poultry and to produce and sell eggs. During the closing ceremony, Dr Mugambi presented certificates of attendance to participants. Dr J. Mugambi, Centre Director Muguga North presents a certificate to a participant KARI finalises the first Budgets and Workplans for the Fourth Medium Term Plan By Koinange T. Mukundi, KARI Headquarters The KARI Director, Dr. Ephraim Mukisira challenged scientists to take research as a business with clients whose demands must be met. He emphasized the need to remain focused to the work plan and budgets throughout the implementation period. Dr. Mukisira said this when opening a three-day Budget and Work plan meeting at KARI Headquarters on 7 th June, 2008. Speaking to over 70 Programme Coordinators drawn from all KARI programmes, Dr. Mukisira asked officers to go out of their way to ensure that the activities they were involved in succeeded. He advised them to plan well in order to make the annual event realize organized and effective budgets and work plans. He noted that the annual activity had worked well for KARI in the past. He asked researchers to demonstrate commitment and embrace sound communication and keeping of functional records that would assist them account for research funds. These, he noted, were characteristic of good fiscal discipline and good practices and would assist KARI in annual reporting. He further noted that these would assist in improving donor confidence in collaborative activities with KARI. He encouraged scientists to balance travel and accommodation expenses with serious research engagements that would impact positively on the livelihoods of mostly the rural poor. Noting that it was necessary to strengthen the capacity for effective budgeting and formulation of work plans, the Director observed that the Planning Monitoring & Evaluation Unit, which is a quality assurance unit, will help KARI realize this goal. He challenged coordinators to master their disciplines in order to provide the required leadership. He asked scientists to continue building effective networks, which in return would foster effective partnerships. He paid tribute to the Chief Accountant, Mr. Andrew Otolo who had worked for KARI for a long time. The Chief Accountant would be retiring in June after serving KARI for a period of almost 20 years. This years’ budget and work plan activity was inclusive and involved more participants in order to cater for programmes such as Adaptive Research and ARIS, among others, which had been left out in 2007. ARIS was established to facilitate commercial activities aimed at financing 20% of KARI’s research activities in appropriations in aid (A in A). Most ARIS work is subcentres where most of the commercial activities are carried out . The Director asked all to plan the programmes activities as guided by KARI’s policy documents the Strategic Plan and fourth Medium Term Plan. This, he said, would greatly assist the Institute pursue its mission and vision to the letter. The Director seized the opportunity to inform the participants that the Institute had developed new “Terms and Conditions of Service” that would be applied to improve the welfare of staff in a number of areas. He further said that performance contracts is here to stay and asked participants to take it seriously to reward staff that are performing and place sanctions to those that are not. The participants also learnt that the KARI Pension Scheme was registered in March this year and contributors to the scheme will get periodical updates on the status of their pension accounts. This will be done through newsletters and the annual general meetings (AGMS). Speaking to the coordinators during the meeting, Dr. Joseph G. Mureithi, Research and Technology Deputy Director, pointed out that the work plan would take consideration of the end phase of KAPP and the onset of the 4 th Medium Term Plan. He emphasized the need to budget for funding for communicating the research finding to stakeholders in order to enhance effective uptake and adoption of new KARI technologies. He noted that coordinators were best placed to keep track of KARI technologies and asked them to assist in developing an inventory of these technologies. The Chairman of the Budget Committee, Dr. David Mwangi Miano, stressed the need to efficiently utilise the resources available for research, including the human resources. He advised the programme coordinators to have projected indicators reflected in their budgets and work plan so that they can run in tandem with each other. Briefing the participants, Mr. George Karanja told the participants that KARI, through the Board of Management, had made specific performance targets to Government of Kenya. He asked the groups to be guided by these targets in planning because they form the basis of assessing KARI’s performance. Highlighter No. 23 6
Media Open Day for Smallholder Flower Growers:-A USAID-KHDP/KARI/MOA Initiative By Alice Nakhumicha Muriithi and Charles Waturu, KARI-Thika Fresh flowers ready for harvesting and export KARI Thika in partnership with Kenya Horticultural Development Programme- USAID funded (KHDP) carried out a project to create a niche market, new product opportunities and improved production systems for the smallholder farmer. The goal was to provide yearround income from the supply of high quality products to domestic, regional and international markets. The KARI and KHDP missions have similarities in that they aspire to financially empower smallholder farmers through crop diversification, improvements in production and postharvest technologies, and market linkages in collaboration with their stakeholders. The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) extension staff monitor the farmer’s adoption of technologies. The partnership between KARI-Thika and KHDP started in September 2004. KHDP hosted an open day for the media on 14 th February 2008 to show the impact of the USAID-KHDP/ KARI/MOA Project on smallholder flower farmers. The field day included visits to KARI-Thika, Githunguri Sapewe Self Help group located at Githunguri sub-location, Kandara Division. The media team was led by Lydia Njuguna the technical manager from USAID-KHDP to trace the flower value chain. The tour at the Centre began with a courtesy call on the Centre Director, Dr. C.N. Waturu. The link between research and the growers was explained. The value chain for cut flower production begins with research on the new introduced crops to develop production and post harvest packages. At the experimental fields, the ornamental plants in production were observed and details given of the trials being carried out or achievements made with the particular crop. The flower crops included those under shade (50%) were leatherleaf fern which generates income as cut foliage for the fresh flower local market yearround. The team saw buyers come and harvest the foliage. Hydrangea was also another flower crop under the shade. Nutrition and spacing trials had been completed and recommendations made available to the farmers. Hydrangea is a popular processing flower for the Rosavie factory(Nairobi). Celosia was one of the flowers growing in the open field. Currently local and export market performance is being evaluated. Stachys is a new foliage plant grown in the open and disease problems have been observed. Control options for the fusarium and verticillum wilt are being investigated as this problem seems to develop during the second year of the crop when the splits from the existing crop are required for propagation. Pigeon peas are among the foliage plants for the processing industry. Current new varieties with the required characteristics for processing are being bulked for distribution to the farmers. Githunguri Sapewe Self Help group begun in 2005 at Githunguri Sub-Location of Kandara Division. The group was introduced to flower production by KARI through USAID/KHDP in March 2005. Mobydick was the first flower crop whose technology was disseminated through Farmer Field School (FFS) approach. Consequently, the farmers purchased and planted 3 kg of Mobydick seeds in their individual farms. The group was linked to a flower exporting agent for marketing of their flowers. By the end of 2005, flowers worth KES 348,000 were produced and sold. In 2006, the number of farmers in the area growing Mobydick increased tremendously. By the end of 2006, four flower companies were operating in the area and purchased flowers worth KES 620,000 due to improved farm gate prices (from KES 3 to 6). In January 2006 the group trained in nursery management, transplanting, crop protection and top-dressing of Zinnia flower crop. 1000 plants of Zinnia were planted in the group’s demonstration plot. The group harvested and delivered 22,280 stems of Zinnia from the demonstration farm between March and May 2006, 9,677 stems were accepted at the market. Seedling selection emphasized as rejections were due to off types. Other crops that were introduced to the group through the USAID KHDP/KARI partnership include scabiosa, tagetes, gomphrena stachys and arabicum. The group has bulked enough seeds of zinnia, scabiosa and tagetes to grow in their individual farms. This group is indeed flowering the landscape and has reduced vulnerability to food insecurity in the village! The farmers in the SAPEWE group currently sell their fresh cut flowers to Wilmar (Thika). The flowers for processing are delivered directly to Rosavie in Nairobi. Dr. Waturu explains a point to Media at a Smallholder Flower Farm in Githunguri Sapewe Highlighter No. 23 7
Page 1 and 2: Highlighter Publication of the Keny
Page 3 and 4: New Agriculture Minister Visits KAR
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January - June 2008 - Kenya Agricultural Research Institute

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