On many social media platforms in Kenya, there are many unusual jokes these days. Some credit the restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the rise in creativity.
>But one of the more outstanding of those jokes is the allegation that the desert locusts that invaded the country and the rest of the Horn of Africa in December 2019, are currently ‘working from home’.

This is no doubt a comic reference to the very real tragedy that this unfolding disaster has been relegated to the back banner since the country started grappling with COVID-19.

There is no doubt that the novel coronavirus that first broke out in China in late 2019, has wrong-footed the whole world. There is no disputing either, that the pandemic is, in many ways, unprecedented. Never in the history of the world has one single threat engulfed the entire globe all at the same time with such disastrous consequences. Every nation is currently dealing with the virus in its own way, aside from the near-universal measures such as hand-washing, social distancing and other aspects of hygiene. Each country is setting its context-specific approaches not just in dealing with the pandemic but also in mapping out the post COVID-19 scenarios.

In Kenya, the economy has already taken a major hit and growth predictions are now tending towards the range of two percent in 2020, or worse if the situation persists. Food, which was already getting out of reach for many Kenyans even before COVID-19, continues to elude many families. And with job losses and pay cuts now the new norm, food shortages will no doubt follow as a matter of course.

That is why the issue of locusts – whose activities, by the way, have not been disrupted by COVID-19, must never go off the government’s radar. These insects are generally considered to be the most destructive migratory pest in the world with each locust capable of consuming as much as its body weight (***~2g***) in a day. Further, the locusts can form huge swarms sometimes as large as ***150 million per square kilometre***. Their mobility too poses a huge challenge for containment efforts. They can travel for between 100 and 200 kilometres each day. Further, in the arid areas, their movement is aided by winds which can carry them afloat for up to 17 hours.

@[youtube](BGjSSt8HqS0)

***Locust Invasion in Moiben, Uasin Gishu County | Wanon Media***

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Desert Locust Situation Update, Kenya faces the risk of an impending second wave of locust infestation which will be twenty times worse than the initial invasion. Experts believe that the heavy rainfall that was experienced in the region in March, coupled with favorable soil conditions offered the perfect opportunity for the pests to lay their eggs. New hopper bands will be hatched this month with swarms of winged adults expected to go on the rampage in June and July. And the rainfall that has resumed in many parts of the country, has made sure that these newly hatched locusts have sufficient food to sustain them before they potentially head to some of Kenya’s productive agricultural areas. 

The Ministry of Agriculture says it has not yet quantified the damaged cause by the locusts but estimate they have brought losses of about 70 % to the vegetation in the affected regions. In Isiolo, for instance, 3,150 square kilometres of pasture land has been completely consumed forcing pastoralists to seek alternatives in neighboring counties.

![crisis-desertlocust-hoa-24993_0038.jpg](https://api.wanonmedia.com/media/624c0ce3-d7c6-498c-96fe-8b5ff921f380.jpg)

***Courtesy: FAO***

In the first infestation spanning more than **20 counties**, ***70,000 hectares*** of vegetation was destroyed. The new wave could exact even more damage. With the ongoing floods also destroying crops and the COVID-19 pandemic generally disruption movement of farmers and inputs, Kenya may be heading for an unprecedented triple whammy that could lead to severe food shortages.

Only recently, the Russian government donated **USD 3M** or **Ksh 300M**, to Kenya, to boost the country’s efforts to eradicate the pests. This is part of a larger **USD 10 million** donation to the region currently experiencing what experts have described as the *worst locust invasion in 70 years*.

Such efforts must be commended and replicated, since the locusts could soon give the country a rude reminder of their continued presence, as food shortages creep in and prices begin to soar. Government officials would do well to keep one eye on the invisible virus and the other eye on the unmistakable creepers that could alter life as we know it, post COVID-19.

Flying Into A Storm: The Folly of Ignoring Desert Locusts Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

On Friday last week, the regular Kenya gazette appeared to be longer than most previous editions. It immediately got Kenyans talking because amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the publication had news about a referendum bill, signalling the likelihood of a vote to change the constitution, in the near future. But buried deep inside the voluminous document was something that may have escaped many a reader - a notice about a famous crop grown in many parts of Africa - cassava. 

The gazette issue informed the country about a project that has been going on for years to find a solution to a common disease in this tuber crop, known as the *Cassava Brown Streak Disease* **(CBSD)**. Typically such information would not be in the Kenya gazette, but this particular project involved a specialised and highly-regulated kind of research known as genetic modification *i.e the manipulation of naturally occurring traits in living things to achieve desired results*. This is what scientists have done with a certain variety of cassava to give it in-built resistance to this viral disease that can wipe off an entire crop season.

![Clean improved Cassava Root from VIRCA Plus Project.jpg](https://api.wanonmedia.com/media/42910f17-bf4e-40b0-bc65-378176797878.jpg)

*Clean improved Cassava Root from VIRCA Plus Project*

The country’s premier agricultural research institute, **Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO)**, which has been part of this ground breaking research, has now applied for formal approval for the growing of this newly developed variety of cassava in open fields. This is usually a critical stage in this kind of research which before now has been conducted mainly in laboratories, greenhouses and  confined fields. **The Biosafety Act 2009** which regulates such research requires that crops produced in this manner be approved by the regulator, the **National Biosafety Authority**, before they can be released to the public.

The Authority told *Wanon Media* that it would consider the safety of this variety to both human beings and the environment before granting its decision. The CEO, **Prof Dorrington Ogoyi** says the researchers have met all the regulatory requirements in the previous stages but they have to pass the final test before the variety can be released to the public.

> “We have to be sure that the new variety they are introducing is substantially equivalent to the conventional variety…and that it will not somehow wipe out our existing variety or transfer some of the genes to other existing varieties”, he said, calling on members of the public to come out and give their views about the application, as required by public participation laws in Kenya. 

The **CSBD-resistant** cassava was developed through a consortium bringing together Kenyan, Ugandan, Nigerian and American institutions under the banner of **Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa (VIRCA) Plus**. And the researchers say this variety, if approved, will improve livelihoods on the continent.

![Cassava Brown Streak Affected cassava root](https://api.wanonmedia.com/media/8cdb8dae-fc41-454a-890e-105d2603c2a0.jpg)

*Cassava Brown Streak Affected cassava root*

> “The entire **VIRCA Plus** project team is excited to reach this milestone in improving agricultural productivity for farmers in East Africa. A positive decision by the Kenya **NBA** would allow us to move ahead in bringing disease-resistant versions of superior cassava varieties to breeders and farmers”, said a statement from the research team.

The researchers focused on cassava owing to its critical role in food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to the **Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)**, Africa accounts for more than 40% of total tropical production of the crop in the world. In Kenya, it is the second most important tuber crop after Irish potato, covering about 90,000 hectares of farmland. As of 2019, the country’s annual production was estimated at 540,000 tonnes.

Crop experts consider **CSBD** to be one of the biggest threats to food security in coastal East Africa, where cassava is a staple food. The disease was first identified in Tanzania in 1936 and has since spread to other parts of the East African coast notably Kenya and Mozambique. Scientists have since identified the two viruses responsible for the disease namely the *cassava brown streak virus* **(CBSV)** and *Ugandan cassava brown streak virus* **(UCBSV)**. The disease typically causes a yellowing of the affected leaves and rot in the roots, making the cassava tuber inedible.

> “**CBSD** resistant cassava *line 4046* exhibits high levels of resistance to infection by the two plant viruses that cause **CBSD** through a well-known gene silencing mechanism **(RNAi)**”, said the statement from **VIRCA Plus**, adding that farmers and consumers would now benefit from the crop’s improved root quality and increased yield.

![Clean improved Cassava Root from VIRCA Plus Project](https://api.wanonmedia.com/media/faa68923-abec-4a4a-9ac0-4d3dbff0a1f5.jpg)

*Clean improved Cassava Root from VIRCA Plus Project*

The cassava project is the latest genetically modified crop to come this far in the approval process. In December last year, Kenya’s cabinet approved genetically modified cotton, known as **Bt-Cotton**, for release to farmers. The Indian Seed Company, Mahyco is currently getting ready to roll out these varieties in more than 20 cotton growing areas in the country.

Members of the public now have until June 14th to give their views to the regulator on whether the newly developed cassava variety should be approved or not.



Tubers of Hope: Kenya Inches Closer to Genetically Modified Cassava

*Written by Kirotwa Sheila for Wanon Media.* 

385 million people fall ill every year from pesticide poisoning, according to the [Pesticide Atlas 2022](https://eu.boell.org/en/PesticideAtlas)  – Kenya Edition.  People unintentionally get exposed to pesticide poisoning in various situations and the effects can be short term or long term, with the latter being the most common. Scientific evidence shows an undoubted relationship between pesticide exposure and increased rate of chronic diseases such as Parkinson’s or childhood Leukemia, increased risk of liver and breast cancer, Type 2 diabetes, asthma, allergies, obesity and endocrine disorder, as well as birth defects, preterm births and growth.

The herbicide glyphosate, for instance, has been widely publicised as causing cancer. Several people who developed cancer after being exposed to it have sued its manufacturer Bayer for damages and about 96,000 plaintiffs reached settlements estimated at 11.6 billion euros.

In spite of such alarming effects of pesticides, there has been notable increase in the use of pesticides in the Kenyan agricultural space. Many farmers continue to use such dangerous pesticides with the hope of increasing crop yields through pest control. Of course pests can be a menace to crops, and the use of pesticides helps control the levels of damage. As the Atlas states, “***Parts of the global crop production are lost to pests and plant pathogens each year.***” The pressure to produce quality and quantity food for the Kenyan market and beyond increases reliance on pesticides. 

 > Increased use of pesticides in Kenya is slowly but surely affecting the population and the ecosystem. According to the Atlas, “Pesticides have been identified as one of the causes for why the abundance of animals and plant species is deteriorating so quickly and disastrously.” 

However, more shocking is the fact that many of the pesticides that the Kenyan farmers import and use are banned in the European Union. It remains an ethical dilemma how and why pesticides that are illegal in European Member States continue to be produced and exported into Global South countries without much questioning. 

*Is it necessary to endanger the lives of Kenyans and other Africans by allowing the use of pesticides that have been clearly labelled as harmful to the human body in countries of origin? Do these countries care about the human lives in the Global South? Would their governments allow it to happen if the production was from the Global South and export was being done to them instead?*

Certainly, the government needs to keenly look into this disturbing issue by putting more focus on the importance of each pesticide being sold to Kenyan farmers vis a vis its harm on human life as well as harm to the ecosystem.



Alarm over harmful pesticides sold in Kenya

It is undeniable that climate change has had adverse effects on forests and agriculture the world over. It has disrupted agriculture and food production as well as plant development especially in developing nations like Kenya.

Many forests in the world today are subjected to catastrophic weather conditions including forest fires and slow-onset stressors such as drought, soil salinization and biodiversity loss.

On the other hand, the agriculture industry is under increasing pressure to produce more with less because the biting climate change is decreasing available resources like arable land and irrigation water. Forest die-off and tree mortality continue to rise due to hotter and drier weather.

Since there are limitations to solutions that technology can offer to these challenges, experts suggest adaptation of agroforestry as a viable solution. Agroforestry is the deliberate blending of tree or shrub production with that of livestock and crops. The outcome? A more varied agricultural business, more revenue and improved conservation.

In Kenya, agroforestry necessitates planting the ideal tree in the ideal location for the ideal objective. It combines farming and forestry techniques to provide productive and long-lasting farms, ranches and woods.
Forests help protect the topsoil, shield cattle, and are the home of numerous wild animals. Furthermore, forests are critical to increasing crop profitability and yields. With forests, there is bound to be a decrease in chemical and energy inputs, enhanced water-use efficiency and better water quality. These are only a handful of possible advantages from agroforestry.

There has been an increased debate in the nation concerning how forests are treated currently but it is not too late to begin employing agroforestry techniques to boost food production. In 2022, Chisika and his associates in the Journal of Sustainability Research, discussed some five common strategies that can be implemented in agroforestry across the nation:

* The use of windbreakers: Windbreakers significantly increase carbon storage, boost revenue by boosting crop yields and safeguard livestock from heat and cold stress.

* The use of riparian forest buffer zones to serve as a refuge for wildlife, grow crops, enhance the quality of the water and lessen flood damage.

* The use of silvo-pasture to boost forage production, enhance carbon sequestration and offer shade and shelter for livestock.

* Crops can be raised in the lanes between ripening trees. By generating both short-term and long-term income streams, this method diversifies operations. It also safeguards crops, boosts carbon sequestration and improves water quality and nutrient use.

* Finally, growing high-value specialty crops and protecting them using a forest cover that is adjusted to the appropriate shade level.

With these suggestions, let us start protecting our forests and, in the long run, improve the country’s food situation.


Adopting agroforestry to boost food production in Kenya

10 million Kenyans are at risk of hunger in the first half of 2023 and over 5 million of these are already in stress situations that require organised food aid. This is of course due to failure of rains in the country for five consecutive seasons now. To make matters worse, reports from critical organisations such as the **National Drought Management Authority (NDMA)** have warned that agriculture in the country is failing. There is therefore a need to look into ways of adopting precision agriculture which means farming to improve crop yields by aiding management decisions through use of high technology sensors and analysis tools. 

Due to the climate change pressures on critical agricultural resources such as arable lands, water bodies, and forests across the nation, there is definitely dire need to optimise not only crop yield per unit area but also each input of food production. This means that in Kenya, the key factors that should drive precision agriculture include the need for resource optimization and the growing awareness of implementing digital agriculture.

Designing soil and crop management strategies in relation to changes in field conditions related to soil type, moisture, and nutrients is something that the Kenyan farmer is well familiar with as small-scale farmers in pre-Agricultural Revolution sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) promoted this technique. According to Onyango (2021) and his associates, in their article, Precision Agriculture for Efficient Resource Utilisation in Small-Scale Farming Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa, they show how planned agricultural practices based on site conditions are used to optimise the use of land resources and external inputs.

However, after the use of inorganic fertilisers was introduced, the practice was largely abandoned and replaced by blanket recommendations, a subject that many Kenyan farmers are trying to deal with today. On the other hand, although the world's cropland remains largely rain-fed, many farmers who rely on irrigation have switched from traditional techniques to water-saving ones such as drip and sprinkler irrigation. According to Monteiro, Santos, and Gonçalves (2021), 
> "technologies such as sensors and GPS enable precise water and fertiliser applications based on detailed knowledge of crop health, animal health, soil conditions, and more."

Other advances include soil spectroscopy and infrared light for analysing soil nutrients and pH levels. These data can be used by Kenyan farmers to protect their soil and target their inputs.
Ideally, precision agriculture is still largely confined to relatively high-income countries. However, resource efficiency can be achieved without sophisticated data. Smallholder farmers in resource-poor countries save significant amounts of fertiliser by adding fertiliser directly to the seed at the time of sowing, known as micro-dosing. This saves resources and increases drought tolerance.

In other words, the most promising precision agriculture techniques identified are the use of soil and crop sensors for nutrient and water management, and the use of satellite imagery, GIS, and farmland simulation models for site-specific management. These technologies have proven critical in achieving a good management strategy in terms of efficiency and effectiveness of resource usage in SSA.


Featured Articles

Flying Into A Storm: The Folly of Ignoring Desert Locusts Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Tubers of Hope: Kenya Inches Closer to Genetically Modified Cassava

Alarm over harmful pesticides sold in Kenya

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