The African Conservation Tillage Network in collaboration with the EU Delegation in Kenya held a one day CA consultative meeting in Nairobi that drew stakeholders from small-holder farmers to large scale Conservation Agriculture farmers, the private sector and policy makers. This meeting was preceded with a one field visit to large scale and small scale CA practicing farmers in Laikipia County where participants were able to see CA in practice and the use Mechanisation in farming.

The workshop objective was to share lessons and experiences on resilience to climate change drawn from the experiences of on-going CA initiatives. This meeting was organized under the Agro-ecology based aggradation conservation agriculture- ABACO project which is implemented in several countries with the support of the EU. The project aims at targeting innovations to combat soil degradation and food insecurity in semi-arid Africa.

Implemented through innovation platforms, the ABACO project targets local research and extension institutions, organized farmers groups and policy makers at the lowest local governance levels. This meeting brought together some of the project partners who shared some of the opportunities and challenges in implementation of CA.

• Use of a broad-based extension approach with research at every level feeding back into the different levels: policy, business, communication and adapted to the local context.

• Use of decentralized Government structures, aligned to National and regional policies including the active involvement of Farmer Organizations’ and Private Sector.

• A value chain analysis of CA equipment supply chain and adoption of CA using the value chain approach.

For more information: email to info@act-africa.org