29 August 2007
editorial
Nairobi — Four national agricultural research institutions have done a great job in researching on, and developing, new maize and sugar varieties that can withstand pests and weeds.
That some of the new seed varieties have the ability to withstand striga will definitely be music to thousands of farmers, particularly in Western Kenya.
Termed Kanyongo (or "witchweed") in parts of Nyanza), striga could as well have been introduced in Kenya by the devil. This is because its purple, attractive flowers camouflage its ability to strangulate cereal crops, making them wilt before they mature.
Scientists say that each striga can produce between 50,000-200,000 tiny seeds that can remain dormant in the soil for up to 20 years. The weed is said to destroy between 20 to 80 per cent of crops, and has infested 75,000 hectares of land in the country.
To farmers who have helplessly watched as their annual efforts and humble investments have too often been wiped out, the release of the new maize varieties will definitely be highly welcome news.
Equally important is the release of other hybrid maize and sugar varieties that are reportedly able to resist diseases, mature early and give high yields.
But as observed by Agriculture minister Kipruto arap Kirwa when releasing the seed varieties yesterday, much more ought to be done to improve agriculture - more so small-scale farming.
We commend efforts made by the Government to improve tea, coffee and dairy sub-sectors. We also applaud the less publicised work done by the National Agriculture and Livestock Extension Programme staff to provide extension services to farmers.
However, there is a crying need to raise the material welfare of these farmers in a meaningful way. In the short term, the Government ought to help them to gradually transform the mainly subsistence farming into gainful enterprises.
The provision of the right information, particularly on the suitable seed varieties for each ecological region; how to better their crop and animal husbandry, and how to access markets, is crucial to the farmer. So is easy access to credit, low-priced inputs, and water.
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