Nyandarua farmers ditch traditional crops as weather shifts from one extreme to another

Nyandarua County is Kenya’s leading producer of Irish potatoes besides being famous for a wide variety of vegetables. But in recent years, local farmers have faced significant challenges. Prolonged drought, erratic rainfall events and damaging frost have taken a toll on their agricultural products, affecting their earnings.

 As a response to these shifts in climate patterns, the farmers are adapting and transitioning from cultivating traditional horticultural crops to those better suited to withstand and thrive in the changing climatic conditions.

For five years, Ronald Gathitu and his wife Sarah have been trying their hands in small-scale commercial vegetable farming in Munyaka, South Kinangop. When they decided to plant tree tomatoes on a two-acre parcel of land, they anticipated that the fruit crop would supplement their returns.

But a continuous frost has destroyed nearly three quarters of their young crop, with only blacked shoots of what was left of the tree tomato seedlings dotting sections of their land

 “We had really put in a lot of work planting 3,800 seedlings. We ensured we followed all the agronomical practices, but the frost was something we had never seen before,” says Sarah.

 Tree tomatoes are a relatively new addition to the range of crops cultivated in Nyandarua. Local farmers have started cultivating this fruit due to the impact of changing weather patterns on traditional crops.

 “The tree tomato fruits throughout the year and requires less maintenance. With the weather being erratic these days, we needed a consistent source of income," adds Ronald. 

The crops that survived, Sarah notes, were the ones surrounded by trees and now these farmers are seeking to integrate a mix of native and exotic trees around their farms. This diverse tree cover will provide essential protection and help maintain a conducive microclimate for their delicate crops. 

“I want to surround the entire farm with a mix of indigenous and exotic trees so that the trees can act as a shield to the tree tomatoes during the frosty weather season,” says Sarah.

 In Kahuruko, South of Kinangop, we find Zablon Ngumi tending to his tree tomatoes. Over the years, he has observed significant changes in the local weather patterns.

 “When I moved here in the 70’s, the forest was still intact. We had consistent rainfall and plenty of food. There was a time saw-millers were so many here and that’s how the forest was depleted and now the rains are erratic,” he says.  Zablon never foresaw the need to diversify his crops to sustain his income, considering that the predominant crops in the area have always been potatoes, cabbages, green peas and carrots.

“I now expect that once the tree-tomatoes fruit, I can harvest about a tonne. A kilogramme is going for Sh80 and that will help me financially,” adds Zablon

 Kinangop sits on the edge of the Aberdare Ranges, a water tower that sustains millions of livelihoods nationwide. The ranges have often been a casualty of deforestation. 

“It is true that in the past we used to poach trees in the forest because that time we did not have other sources of livelihood,” says Charles Macharia, a member of the Geta Community Forest Association. 

But local communities have since been given rights to grow crops in the forest under the Plantation Establishment and Livelihood Improvement Scheme (PELIS).

PELIS is a collaborative effort between the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and communities living around gazetted public forests to allow them to cultivate food crops while tending to exotic trees planted for timber. This initiative is part of a sustainable forest management plan meant to curb poaching of indigenous trees as the indigenous forests are the catchment areas for water sources.

 “As a Community Forest Association (CFA), we have been allocated 70 acres, which we have subdivided among 140 households to tend to the trees planted by KFS as we grow food crops. We are mandated to replace any tree that dries up and so far this plantation has a 100 per cent germination rate,” explains Peter Njahu, chairman of Geta Forest CFA.  The Worldwide Fund for Nature Kenya has been assisting farmers like Peter Macharia from Kinangop North to establish woodlots within their own farms.

“I have planted more than 1,700 exotic trees in my farm. Once they mature, I will sell them to saw-millers and keep some for using at home,” he says.

This initiative is under Sustainable Development Goal 2, which aims to eradicate hunger by enhancing the productivity and income of small-scale farmers. By cultivating woodlots, farmers can contribute to sustainable land use while also boosting their economic prospects by selling wood products.

[email protected]