Field days are part of the larger learning process for farmers and other stakeholders, it is a practical session where farmers, extension staff and other stakeholders come together and share details of on- farm research and demonstration as well as learn from each other. In most cases, adaptive research trials are laid out in farmers’ fields and each plot subjected to different treatments. These trials are observed over time and changes recorded and comparisons made by both the farmers and technical experts.

In collaboration with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KARLO), the African Conservation Tillage Network (ACT) is involved in a three year project funded by AGRA where adaptive research trials and demonstrations are conducted to evaluate cover crop types in terms of their contribution to soil nutrients, moisture and overall crop productivity. This project is implemented in both Kenya and Tanzania. To enable the learning process take a natural process, CA demonstration plots managed and located at farmers own fields is critical in ensuring farmers are part and parcel of the learning research process. It is expected that farmers will go beyond the demonstration plots and adopt CA farming by emulating the practice on their own farms. This process allows the farmers to discover for themselves the importance of each of the key conservation agriculture management practices.

In collaboration with KARLO, 200 farmer managed CA demonstration plots were established to create awareness on CA and demonstrate best-practice CA methodologies for overall improved productivity of staple cereals and legumes. One to two farmer field days are conducted at each of the sites per season to expose the farming communities to CA-based agricultural practices. To date a number of field days have been conducted in Sumbawanga, Kyela, Mbarali, Mbeya Rural, Momba, Mbozi in Tanzania and at Laikipia and Machakos counties in Kenya.

The different treatments in the adaptive demo plots randomly assigned are:

Explaining the benefits of conservation agriculture viz a viz conventional agriculture, during a field day held in Mbeya, the ACT Field Officer for southern highlands said that “Conservation agriculture simplifies workload, maintains soil profile, keeps beneficial organisms in the soil, reduces emission of carbon gases that in turn help in mitigation of climate change consequences. Also through CA there would be no soil erosion due to the availability of cover crops”

This was echoed by Ann Waweru during the field day in laikipia, she said that in a field where they used to take two weeks weeding, they now take two days. They had even fabricated tools locally to make their work simpler. She said to practice CA, there had to be a shift in the mind set and those who had adapted showed good yield results, indeed all of her farming land was now under Conservation Agriculture.

Talking to the AGRA and ACT team when they paid a courtesy call at the Laikipia County Offices, the Chief officer, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Mr Martin K Mwangi repeated the same sentiments saying “it was crucial to build a critical mass of farmers practicing conservation agriculture as this was very important for food security” It was also important to develop the market systems for sustainability purposes. Those who had invested in conservation agriculture had a competitive edge and were even harvesting during the “bad” seasons. He went on to say that building an institutional framework to support the CA farming practice was a collective responsibility and the county would initiative the process of institutional building on CA. Laikipia County was in advanced stages of mainstreaming CA and it was imperative that CA is mainstreamed into the government agenda and budgeted for. As an innovation CA was going through the stages of innovation and building a CA community of practice would broaden CA awareness, its network and linkages.