Kenya: ICIPE Launches EU-funded Climate Change Project
By Henry Neondo
KISUMU--- The International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology, icipe Wednesday launched a Ksh. 340 million (2.9 million Euros) European Union funded project, which will adapt the centre’s highly successful ‘Push-pull’ technology to climate change.
Known as ADOPT – the adaptation and dissemination of the ‘Push-pull’ technology to climate change – the initiative will directly benefit 50, 000 smallholder cereal-livestock farmers. It will also improve food availability for half a million people living in areas that are dry and vulnerable to climate change in Kenya , Tanzania and Ethiopia .
Speaking during the launch at Yenga Village, Kisumu West DIstrict, icipe Director General, Prof. Christian Borgemeister said “in the past 17 years, ‘Push-pull’ has been adopted by over 40,000 smallholder farm families in East Africa resulting in maize yields increases between one ton to 3.5 tonnes per hectare, with minimal inputs. This action has improved the food security for close to 250,000 people in the region. Icipe’s target is to extend the benefits of ‘Push-pull’ to over one million people by 2020. Moreover, the rising uncertainties in the region’s rain-fed agriculture, due to the continent’s vulnerability to climate change, has created more demand for ‘push-pull’ and its further adaptation to withstand the increasing adverse and changeable conditions. The funding from EU will take us closer to achieving these two goals.”
‘Push-pull’ (www.push-pull.net) , a novel farming system developed by icipe, Rothamsted Research (UK) and national partners in East Africa , simultaneously addresses the major constrains of cereal-based farming system, which include striga weeds, stemborer pests and poor soil fertility.
The strategy involves intercropping cereals with a repellent plant such as desmodium, and planting an attractive trap plant, such as napier grass, as a border crop around this intercrop.
Stemborers are repelled or deterred away from the target food crop (push) while, at the same time, they are attracted to the trap crop (pull), leaving the food crop protected. I addition, desmodium stimulates the germination of striga seeds and inhibits their growth after it germinates. The technology also provides high quality animal fodder.
Furthermore, since both companion plant species are perennial, ‘Push-pull’ conserves soil moisture and improves soil health and beneficial biodiversity.
“ADOPT will focus on crops grown in dry areas, for instance, sorghum and millet, including research on trap and intercrops adapted to conditions associated with climate change. This requires working in partners with national, regional and international organizations, and most importantly with farmers across the region,” added Dr zeyaur Khan, the leader of the ‘Push-pull’ programme.
Dr. Peter Sturesson, Councilor for rural development at the EU Delegation to Kenya, noted: “ADOPT fully responds to the five result areas of the Commission’s Food Security Thematic Programme (FSTP) Research and technology component”.
He said these include the delivery of pro-poor innovations, development of research programmes responding to beneficiaries’ needs and enhancement of the active role of low-income smallholder farmers.