Indigenous farmers’ maize seed system being eroded

By Fredrick 0. Otswong’o

THE need for increasing sustainable crop yields continues to grow with increasing population and environmental limitation in Kenya. This is partly because the natural resources are being depleted faster than they are replaced which raises the need for their conservation through sustainable agricultural technology.
Biotechnological innovations have yielded novel products and processes which are competing with traditional ones thus creating fear and instability in agricultural systems that form the backbone of our economy.
The creative skills and innovations of Kenyans have consequently been identified as the determining factors of economic development. It has been noticed that there is a lot of research work going on in the universities, high school laboratories, and in research institutions and polytechnics that could be of valuable use to the local farmers in eradicating poverty through provision of adequate food. These innovative works can be adapted, protected and commercialised for the benefit of inventors, researchers, breeders and the consumers at large.
The 1989-93 Kenya Development Plan emphasised development of agriculture to include the arid and semi-arid lands in an effort to attain self-sufficiency in food and meet the overall objectives of the Kenya agricultural policy. The government has realised that as it develops its research capability, it must ensure research findings on first, second and third Biotechnology generations are easily accessible to Jua Kali farmers. Investment in human resource development and well-equipped laboratories is crucial to this endeavor (Mbote et al, 1994).
Seed systems are important in agriculture, food production and biodiversity. Two systems, the farmers’ and plant breeders (usually referred to as formal farmers) operate side by side with little interaction. Format seed systems use modem biotechnology and vertical organisations in plant breeding, seed production and distribution.
Farmers in agro-ecological diverse, resource poor and marginalised areas of Eastern and North Eastern Kenya still cultivate local varieties and landraces supplied by their own seed systems through traditional or indigenous knowledge. Farmers’ seed systems are still the most important seed source in these areas, while at the same time hosting the remaining biodiversity and sources of knowledge. Farmers’ seed systems using indigenous knowledge and practices in seed selection, production, storage and informal distribution among farmers tend to utilise, maintain, generate and exchange diversity.
However, this remaining biodiversity and indigenous knowledge is threatened and is disappearing at an alarming speed. New and sustainable technologies are, therefore, needed.
In recent years, international actors and national governments have paid increasing attention to plant genetic resources and the need for conservation and on-farm management of agro-biodiversity. The Keystone Dialogue series on Plant Genetic Resources was one of the first fora with a conservation perspective which recognised the farmers’ system as parallel and complementary to the formal system. Its outcome has been further elaborated in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992, which requires that member States “respect, preserve and maintain knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities”. The FAO state of World Report on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (FAO, 1996) has further emphasised the plans for in-situ conservation and on-farm management in agriculture and food production.
These international policies (agreements) have important implications for the development and implementation of national policies and programmes concerning sustainable food security and agro-biodiversity.
Globally, the collaboration between farmer and formal seed systems through Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) is increasingly considered as one of the alternatives which could possibly overcome the key limitations of the form seed system. PPB seeks to improve crop development, conserve biodiversity and empower farmers,
Maize is the staple food in most parts of Kenya. It is also a very important feed for livestock. It is processed in industries to produce oil and starch. Maize is produced on small and large-scale farms. Most of the maize crop is however produced in small-scale farms.
Maize in Kenya grows well in areas up to an altitude of 2200 m. It prefers medium temperatures, rainfall and altitude. Maize prefers fertile alluvial or loam soils, which should be free draining as it cannot withstand water-logging conditions.
Several hybrids and composites are produced in various national research stations of KAR1 such as National Research Stations in Kitale, Embu, Katumani and Coast Agricultural Research in Mtwapa. These hybrids and composites are produced for specific altitudes in the country,
There are many pests and diseases affecting maize. These include maize stalk borer (Btiseola fusca) also called larger stem borer or “Osama”. KARI and CIMMYT have a joint project under IRMA for a new maize variety that contains genetic qualities of Bacillus thurmsiensis (Bt) - bacteria that naturally occurs in soil but harmful to specific crop pests.
The new MV (Bt-maize is resistant to stem borer and is aimed at increasing maize yield in the country. Other field pest of maize include Army worm (spodoptera exempta) which attacks the plant leaves, aphid (Rbopalosiphum maiclis) sucks sap from the green husks of cobs and leaves. Weaver birds attack the milk grains, Maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) is the most serious storage pest of maize, while Smut (Usrifago) is a fungal disease which destroys grains and tassels masses of black powder.
Striga is a parasitic weed which upon stimulation, germinates and attaches to the roots of maize. It competes for water and nutrients. C1MMYT and KAR1 have undertaken innovative biotechnological approaches to address the problem of striga parasitism (De crote, 2000).
Maize plant breeders try to develop some of the maize varieties for early maturing, resistance against loging, persistent husks, high yield, drought and disease resistancebut this is not working. In a nutshell, maize production in Kenya is insufficient.
The maize produced by formal sector cannot feed Kenya’s growing population and in most cases it is very expensive for the rural poor.
The imported maize grains is very expensive. As such there is need to provide maize seed system that can be used by the rural poor farmers in order to alleviate hunger and poverty in this country and elsewhere. Continuous planting of hybrid maize has eroded indigenous maize varieties
that used to be grown by local fanners. This has depleted biodiversity in the landraces and unless concrete measures are taken, loss of genetic resources is eminent.