© 2011 S. Torfinn\ Panos


CLIMATE


Kenyan Triple Play Raising profits while coping with a changing climate KAJIADO DISTRICT, KENYA


arming for the planet can also be good for the bottom line. A new study has identified “triple wins”—spe- cific farming practices accomplish three goals at once. Tey improve agricul- tural productivity, help adapt to cli- mate change, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.


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A team of researchers from IFPRI, the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)—with sup- port from the World Bank—collected data from more than 700 farm house- holds in Kenya distributed across vari- ous agroecological zones and soil types. Te team then used the data in simula- tions to show how various farming practices would affect crop yields, soil quality, and greenhouse gas emissions.


More Than Fertilizer


Several farm practices came up triple winners. One such practice, says Eliza- beth Bryan, a senior research analyst with IFPRI and member of the research team, is soil nutrient management—


which involves more than sprinkling some fertilizer on a plot of land. “Tis isn’t just about using inorganic fertil- izers,” says Bryan, “but also manure, mulch, and crop residues.”


By combining crop residues, fertilizer, mulch, and manure, farmers in most agroecological zones and on most soil types significantly boosted their net rev- enue from maize. Tey did face costs— they had to purchase fertilizer, and sometimes feed for livestock to replace maize stover—but in most cases these costs were outweighed by the increased profits from productivity gains. Tis combination of soil inputs also im- proves soil’s fertility and water-holding capacity, making farms more resilient to climate change. And it helps soils store carbon, reducing future climate change.


Another promising strategy is improved livestock feeding. Kenyan farmers feed their dairy cattle crop residues such as maize stover or graze them on range- lands or roadsides. If farmers replaced some of the stover in the cows’ diets


with locally available, higher-energy feeds like napier grass and Desmodium, they could both increase production of milk and cut emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, for each liter of milk produced.


Promising Solutions


Tese practices have great potential to increase farmers’ crop and livestock pro- duction in Kenya’s various agroecologi- cal zones, says Barrack Okoba, principal research scientist at KARI and a mem- ber of the research team. “Te findings should be of great interest to policymak- ers who want to reduce conflicts over resources and find ways to help the most vulnerable farming communities adapt to climate change,” he says.


And given that resources are scarce everywhere, practices that address sev- eral problems at once can be especially cost-effective. As Bryan says, “Why not promote practices that provide multiple benefits for producers and for the environment?”


—Ian Johnson 3


Combining crop and livestock production has helped this Masai woman cope with climate change.


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