Technical, Economic and Social Gaps and Information Needs among Smallholder Farmers in Practice of Ecological Organic Agriculture in Kenya

Food security is an issue of great and growing concern in many countries especially in Africa. Despite global pledges, study reports continue to reveal that the number of people suffering from hunger has continued to increase every year. Kenya, like many other sub-Saharan African countries faces a fundamental food security challenge. Feeding over 40 million people in the country requires a wide range of creative, sustainable agricultural systems which not only provide food but also factor in the economic value of nature- based services such as forests, wetlands and soil organisms that underpin agriculture. It is acknowledged that ecological organic agriculture can contribute to socioeconomic and ecologically sustainable development especially in poorer countries through increased agricultural productivity and raised incomes with low cost, locally available technologies, and without causing environmental damage. It is against this background that this study aimed to establish enabling gaps and information needs among smallholder farmers in the practice of ecological organic agriculture (EOA) in Kenya. A sample of 450 households selected by multi-stage sampling from six counties was interviewed using a pre-coded questionnaire. The findings revealed that the smallholder farmers in Kenya grow a wide variety of crops on their farms, which may comprise a valuable combination in the application of EOA strategies, especially with respect to controlling pest and diseases. However despite the wide diversity, the farmers showed limited understanding of potential of the various natural and environmentally practices in controlling pests and diseases and soil amendments. The study hence recommends support for innovative strategies to introduce and reinforce EOA practices already inbuilt in current smallholder farmer practices.