BIOVISION AFRICA TRUST

CATEGORY: CSO
CSA PROJECT 1: Biovision Farmer Communication Programme
SCALE: County coordination actions
LOCATION (COUNTY): Bungoma, Kisii, Vihiga, Nakuru, Nyandarua, Kiambu, Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Machakos, Makueni
PERIOD OF THE PROJECT: 2020 – 2022
GRANT SIZE OF THE PROJECT: USD 885.000
CSA PROJECT 2: Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA)
SCALE: Continental, County
LOCATION (COUNTY): Busia, Kakamega
PERIOD OF THE PROJECT: 2019 – 2022
GRANT SIZE OF THE PROJECT: –
CSA PROJECT 2: Knowledge Centre for Organic Agriculture (KCOA)
SCALE: Africa, Regional,
LOCATION (COUNTY): Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda
PERIOD OF THE PROJECT: 2019 – 2021
GRANT SIZE OF THE PROJECT:

SUMMARY OF ACTIONS

The goal of Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT) is to alleviate poverty and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Kenya and other African countries through supporting dissemination of information and knowledge on appropriate technologies to increase agricultural production and improve the human, animal, plant, and environmental health. BvAT will achieve this goal through engagement within the continuum of research, policy and practice. BvAT partners with research institutions to generate information that is relevant, accurate and validated. For disseminated information to be useful and taken up by farmers, BvAT through its Farmer Communication Programme downscales the scientific information and disseminate through its pillar communication channels – The Organic Farmer (TOF) Magazine, The Organic Farmer (TOF) Radio, Outreach extension services, the Infonet and The Mkulima Mbunifu Magazine. Through the Ecological Organic Agriculture Initiative, BvAT has engaged widely with states technocrats and key sector contributors in Kenya and the continent, lobbying and influencing policies that promote agroecology and organic agriculture as the sure option for sustainable agriculture. BvAT also leads coordination of the Knowledge Centre for Organic Agriculture (KCOA) Project in Eastern Africa with co-hosting arrangements with Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Uganda.  This is an initiative aims to support a network of regional knowledge hubs for organic farming in Africa.

Some of the Agroecology promoted practices  promoted by BvAT are soil fertility management with emphasis on composting; soil and water conservation technologies, agroforestry and organic pest and disease control. BvAT also facilitates linkages with other organisations that provide support along the value chains, such as input suppliers, markets, processors, traders and consumers.

CONTEXT

A number of challenges affect scale up of ecological agriculture practices in Africa. Key among them is the absence of an enabling policy frameworks that support sustainable, resilient and productive farming systems. Investment in ecological organic agriculture is low. Institutional capacity amongst different actors also remains inadequate, coupled with absence of sufficient coordination and networking amongst stakeholders. Many gaps exist in research on ecological organic agriculture, leading to poor linkages with industries.  Biovision Africa Trust therefore works with governments and other stakeholders in addressing the mentioned challenges.

OBJECTIVE

Project 1: Farmer Communication Programme – To enhance economic, social and environmental livelihoods of smallholder farmers in East Africa through increased adoption of ecologically sustainable agriculture (ESA) by 2022.

Project 2: Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) – To Improve quality of life for farm Households (HH) resulting from mainstreaming EOA technologies and practices into agriculture systems.

Project 3: Knowledge Centre for Organic Agriculture – to introduce knowledge hubs successfully as an innovative strategy for promoting organic agriculture with actors in the regions of West, East, and Southern Africa.

PARTICIPATION IN KEY CLIMATE & AGRICULTURE NETWORKS

The organisation is a member of the Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN)

INVOLVEMENT IN CSA

  • Knowledge dissemination (education and awareness creation)
  • Technology transfer
  • Coordination and networking
  • Communication

RELEVANCE OF CSA MSP TO WORK

  • Information about CSA
  • Networking
  • Learning and exchange
  • Reporting and showcasing

RECOMMENDATION ON WAYS TO SUPPORT MSP

  • Dissemination of climate smart agriculture knowledge and technologies through multiple channels – print, audio, audio visual and web-based.
  • Developing capacities of key actors involved in climate smart agriculture implementation.
  • Participate in resource mobilization activities.

KEY INTERVENTIONS

Farm level (project 1 &2) Target (no of farmers)  Indicators monitored
Soil management 3,800 Percentage increase in productivity

Percentage increase in income from farming

Water conservation and harvesting 3,800 Percentage increase in productivity

 

Kitchen garden establishment 3,800 Percentage improvement in family diet diversity

 

Farmer training on selected value chains, as per County priorities 450 Percentage Improvement in access to markets
Agroforestry 80 No. of trees incorporated in farmlands

No. of community nurseries established

Increased income from sale of seedlings.

Disease and pest management (using organic methods and inputs) 3,800 Percentage reduction in pest and disease infestation

Percentage increase in use of natural pest control

Institution level (project 1,2 &3) Target (no of stakeholders)  Indicators monitored
Video and online documentation of success stories and ecological sustainable agriculture practices for wider dissemination.   Number of stories documented

Number of technologies documented.

Facilitating linkages to relevant business development services across the value chain. Number of linkages established
Supporting resource mobilization for increased funding to Agroecology Percentage increase in support (cash and kind)
Establishing partnerships with County governments for support to Agroecology. Number of partnerships

LESSONS LEARNED AND CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTATION OF CSA PROJECT

Availability of markets to farmers’ organically produced  accelerates adoption of organic and climate smart agriculture. Smallholder farmers learn best from on-farm demonstrations and CSA projects should work with governments to support formulation of CSA-friendly policies especially those that promote investments to farmers training activities.

Multiplicity of approaches, methods by diffrent actors sends diffent and sometimes contradicting message to the farmers and other actors.

The basis of increased productivity and biodiveristy depends very much on soil fertility. CSA technologies should prioritize technologies such as organic composting that builds soil fertility with lower carbon footprint and better agroecological benefits.

The challenges on the other hand include; availability of organic inputs; market linkages to premium markets for organic products and inadequate advisory services available for smallholder farmers.

ORGANISATION INFORMATION AND CONTACT ADRESS IN CASE OF FOLLOW UP

Name:                                              Fredrick Ochieng

Email address:                               fochieng@biovisionafrica.org

Phone address:                              +254 721 801 809

Organisational Physical address: Duduville Campus, Icipe, Kasarani, off Thika Road, Nairobi, Kenya.

Organisational Website:               www.biovisionafricatrust.org