Nodes of Growth: improving

legume seed networks in Kenya

Andrew Farrow
DAPA, CIAT-Africa
a.farrow@cgiar.org
8th June 2010

www.ciat.cgiar.org Eco-Efficient Agriculture

Eco-Efficient for the
Agriculture for Poor
the Poor
 Objectives

• Increase the availability and awareness of

affordable improved bean seeds to previously
excluded small-holder farmers in two districts
in Kenya
• Prove the methodology for wider-scale
deployment in Kenya and Ethiopia and for
other legume crops

Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor

 Nodes of
Growth target
districts

Kirinyaga

Makueni (Nzaui)

Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor

 Partners
Small-holder bean producers in target districts

Intermediate/secondary stakeholders, located

near or in the target districts

National level target institutions in Kenya

International level target institutions

Small-holder legume producers not in target

districts

Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor

Partners

Catholic Diocese of Methodist church in

Kisumu Kenya- Nyambene Synod
CARD Caritas Muranga
(Catholic Diocese)
Nangina 1&2
MoA
AEP
Dryland Seed Ltd.
Catholic Diocese of
Homa Bay
Self Help Development
International Kenya

Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor

 Methodology
• Geographical analysis of existing seed outlets
• Recommendation of new distribution points
• Dissemination of ‘location-based’ information
on seed outlets
• Assessment of mobile devices in supporting
awareness of improved seed distributors and
receipt of reciprocal performance information

Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor

Analysis of existing seed outlets

Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor

 Recommendations for new outlets
Mapping Location-Allocation Modelling Results
•Greedy Add Heuristic
•Maximal Coverage Problem
•Arc Macro Language
•Accessibility Analysis
•Data Quality Assessment

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Dissemination of seed outlet locations

Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor

Dissemination of seed outlet locations
2009 = Drought
Few seeds available
No dissemination possible
Extra mapping in western Kenya

Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor

 Mobile Phone Platform
• Feasibility study conducted by Grameen
Foundation’s Applab
• Three main issues: inclusivity, sustainability,
and effectiveness
• Desk research and a field component in
western Kenya with TL2 partners

Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor

Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor
Mobile Phone Platform: inclusivity
• Some evidence for exclusion due to
insufficient access to mobile phones
• Phone ownership is at the range of 35%
• For every 10 phones seven are owned by men
and only three by women
• Older and cheaper handsets, which are
common in the study area, limit the types of
information services that can be considered

Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor

Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor
Mobile Phone Platform: sustainability
Sustainability depends on:
• Incentives for information collection by
intermediaries and end users
• Business model and revenue generation
approach used
• Models depend substantially on the
information that is communicated and the
number of users

Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor

Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor
 Mobile Phone Platform: effectiveness
• Existing technology is sufficient to effectively
transmit and receive bean-related information
• Effectiveness would be increased if GPS-
enabled or other ‘smart’ phones were more
widely available although this might have
unintended negative effects on inclusivity

Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor

Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor
 Future of Nodes of Growth
• KARI given a bigger role in Kenya
• Follow impact pathway
• Extend to other legumes and countries
• Possibilities exist within TL2 phase 2
• Off-line mapping with On-line updates

Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor