In Kakamega County’s Nzoia Ward, a 944‑hectare watershed management programme has been launched to curb soil erosion, improve water availability and broaden cropping options for smallholders. The initiative integrates land‑care techniques with market‑oriented crop choices, aiming to protect the catchment while raising farm incomes.
Through the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project, the county has supplied 2,160 Hass avocado seedlings, 4,320 tissue‑culture banana seedlings and 8,640 vetiver grass splits to participating farms. These planting materials are intended to diversify cropping systems and support slope stabilization.
The programme reaches 432 farmers who are organised into 12 farmer groups, with women representing 60 % of the members. The gender balance ensures women gain direct access to the crops. Group structures facilitate peer learning, collective bargaining for inputs and coordinated maintenance of shared terraces.
Agroforestry is paired with terracing, a practice that reshapes sloping fields into a series of level steps. Each terrace reduces runoff velocity, allowing water to infiltrate the soil and creating micro‑environments suitable for both trees and understory crops.
Vetiver grass is planted along the terrace edges to bind the soil. Its deep, fibrous root network holds the substrate in place even during heavy rains, dramatically lowering the risk of gullying and preserving the integrity of the terrace structure.
Avocado and banana trees are introduced to diversify the traditional maize‑centric system.
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County figures indicate that Kakamega loses roughly 10 tonnes of soil per hectare each year, causing yield drops of up to 30 % in the most affected plots. Such loss erodes the productive capacity of the land, threatens food security and pushes farmers toward costly external inputs to sustain output.
Water harvesting is supported by the construction of farm ponds measuring about 10 by 5 metres, capable of storing up to 75,000 litres of rainwater. Stored water can be drawn for irrigation during dry spells, potentially extending the cropping calendar by three months beyond the normal rainy season.
Farmers receive training in terrace construction, tree planting, water harvesting, soil conservation, crop management and marketing. Extension officers will conduct regular visits to each participant over the next two years, providing on‑site advice, monitoring progress and adjusting techniques as needed.
The intervention focuses on growers who lie outside the Mumunyonzo Irrigation Project, which already serves about 200 farmers. By reaching these additional households, the programme expands the geographic footprint of climate‑smart agriculture and reduces reliance on a single irrigation scheme.
Kakamega County is drafting the Agricultural Sector Extension Policy for 2026, covering extension staffing, infrastructure, ICT, irrigation, research linkages and farmer engagement. The policy aims to institutionalise support mechanisms, streamline resource allocation and embed digital tools that can deliver timely agronomic information to remote fields.
Overall, the initiative empowers communities to shift toward sustainable practices that protect natural resources while boosting household incomes and food security. Long‑term success will hinge on continued county backing, effective delivery of training and the willingness of farmers to adopt and maintain the new techniques.