Impacts of agroforestry -based soil fertility replenishment on the poor in Western Kenya

This study examines the impact of tree-based improved fallow and biomass transfer systems on the rural poor i western Kenya. Western Kenya is one of the most densely populated areas in Africa—densities of more than 1,000 people per square kilometer are not uncommon. Much of western Kenya is considered to have good potential for agriculture, with medium elevation (1,100-1,600 meters), deep, well-drained soils, and relatively high rainfall (1,200-1,800 millimeters per year) that permits two growing seasons. The history of farming in the area, however, is characterized by low input-low output farming. Recent studies have found that crop productivity is very low (less than 1 ton of maize per hectare per year) and that nutrient balances are seriously in deficit. As a re-sult, along with a swelling population and decreasing farm sizes (now around 1 hectare per household), poverty is rampant in the region. Fifty percent or more of the population is estimated to be in poverty in several of the districts, which is significantly higher than in other good agricultural potential regions of Kenya. The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), and the enya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) developed an agroforestry research program that had as one of its pillar systems the im-provement of welfare through soil fertility replenishment (SFR). Initially, sev-eral systems were tested, including alley farming, but the two that appeared most promising were improved fallows and biomass transfer. "Improved fallow" refers to the intentional planting of a fallow species. Improved fallows are more efficient than natural fallows and can normally achieve the same effect on crop productivity in a much shorter time. In western Kenya, two main fallow species are being used by farmers.

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