Shrinking Farms, Simpler Diets
Over the past decades Kenya’s small farms have been getting even smaller – and families have often needed to plant only a few high-yield crops just to survive. This has meant moving away from the diverse mix of millets, legumes and leafy greens that used to fill farm plots. As a result, some nutrient-rich indigenous foods have almost disappeared from fields and menus. Today, many farmers grow mostly maize, rice or other staples, which has helped put food on the table but at a cost. Diets are now more monotonous, and the built-in resilience of farming systems is weaker – it takes less to wipe out a family’s food supply if only one or two crops fail.
- Diminishing land sizes force farmers to grow only a few staples.
- Traditional crops like finger millet, mung bean, cowpea, pigeon pea and amaranth have been neglected or “dwindling” on Kenyan farms.
- With fewer crop varieties planted, diets lack diversity, and farms lack resilience against drought and pests.
Taken together, these trends pose a risk to both nutrition and food security in Kenya. Fortunately, Kenya’s farmers are starting to rediscover the value of their native crops.
Nutrient-Rich, Climate-Resilient Traditional Crops
Traditional Kenyan crops are quietly making a comeback in kitchens and fields. These “opportunity crops” are not only rich in vitamins and minerals, but also resilient enough to thrive in hot, dry conditions. For example, cooked finger millet from western Kenya has almost twice the protein, 17× more iron, and 45× more calcium than plain white rice. Amaranth – a green leafy vegetable – is a vitamin powerhouse, with up to 200× more Vitamin A and 10× more iron than a similar serving of cabbage. In short, millets, pulses (like cowpea and pigeon pea) and traditional greens can pack far more nutrition per bite than the standard staples.
These crops are climate-smart, too. Pearl millet (known locally as “mahindi ya mbuga”) and cowpeas can shrug off heat and drought that would wilt maize. In fact, researchers note that pearl millet’s “remarkable ability to endure scorching temperatures, prolonged droughts, and nutrient-deprived soils” makes it a lifeline for millions of people in Africa. By growing these hardy, nutritious crops, Kenyan farmers improve food diversity and make their farms more resilient to the unpredictable weather that comes with climate change.
Feed the Future’s VACS Initiative in Kenya
Feed the Future VACS works much like a seed-coaching team. The support group has teamed up with research centers like CIMMYT, Seed Systems Group (SSG) — a seed systems development organization — and local seed experts to strengthen Kenya’s seed systems. The idea is to take what’s been learned from spreading high-yield maize and rice varieties, and use it to get improved millet, bean and amaranth seeds into farmers’ hands. By improving soil health and crop diversity together, the program aims to build a resilient food system where Kenyan farms can thrive under climate stress.
To reverse the trend of crop loss and support farmers, USAID’s Feed the Future program launched the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS). This global initiative (in partnership with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the African Union) is focused on under-invested traditional crops that are nutritious and climate resilient. In Kenya, VACS is focusing on five key indigenous and traditional food crops: finger millet, cowpea, pigeon pea, mung bean, and amaranth in the country’s arid and semi-arid regions, including Kitui, Machakos, Makueni, and Tharaka Nithi counties. These crops were chosen because of their high nutritional value and ability to boost farmers’ incomes once better seeds and practices are in place.
Seeds in Every Hand: Partnerships on the Ground
Getting new seeds to farmers requires working closely with local seed value chain stakeholders. Under VACS, a few key strategies are being used to promote high-performing varieties of the target crops:
- National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS). SSG collaborates with Kenya National Agricultural Reseach Organization (KALRO) to produce foundation seeds of the improved varieties.
- Local private seed enterprises. SSG supports Kenyan private seed companies to multiply the improved seeds. The companies grow certified seed of the new varieties and package them into small packs to be distributed to smallholder farmers. These companies already produce many seeds (like finger millet and legumes) for local markets, and VACS is helping them expand into the underused crops.
- Village-Based Advisors (VBAs) and small seed packs. SSG works together with FIPS (Farm Input Promotions Africa) to identify VBAs from farmers’ villages and train them on small seed pack approach and good agronomic practices. VBAs are then provided with small packs of improved seed varieties to conduct demonstrations on their own plots for farmer awareness. The VBAs also assist in distributing the small packs to smallholder farmers in their villages for testing on their farms. This “try-before-you-buy” approach helps the farmers test the new millet or bean varieties without risk.
- Agro-dealer development. SSG trains agro-dealers in business management and facilitates connections between agro-dealers, VBAs, and seed companies to ensure effective seed distribution. Agro-dealer shops provide consistent access to seed and other farm inputs, removing physical access barriers for farmers.
- Together, these efforts strengthen Kenya’s local seed system for the VACS priority crops. Village-based advisors help in creating farmer awareness and bringing knowledge right to the community and private seed companies ensure regular supply of high-quality seed. The goal is to build sustainable value chains – meaning that long after the program ends, Kenyan farmers will still have easy access to seeds adapted to local conditions.
Building a Healthier, Greener Future for Kenya
Revitalizing these traditional crops has big payoffs. Early adopters of improved millet and bean varieties are already seeing better harvests. As [13†L97-L101] notes, these crops “are nutritious and an important source of farmer income” when yields go up. That means more food for families and more money in farmers’ pockets. It also helps close nutrition gaps – those extra iron, zinc, calcium and Vitamin A units from millets and greens go straight into the community’s diet especially to expectant mothers and young children who are in dire need of those nutrients.
By strengthening local seed companies, empowering VBAs, and supporting agro-dealers, VACS is laying the groundwork for lasting change. Kenya’s climate and nutrition goals go hand-in-hand here: healthier soils and more diverse farms help the environment, while more diverse diets help people’s health. In the long run, donors and communities can view the VACS approach as a model: investing in local crops and seed systems means resilient harvests, resilient communities. Every bag of better millet or pack of amaranth seed delivered under this initiative is a step toward a more food-secure, climate-smart Kenya.
