- Agventure is a Kenyan farmers cooperative that has been practicing conservation agriculture for 13 years and has seen immense benefits from adopting its three principles. - One farm's story shows how yields increased from an average of 2.7 tons/ha before conservation agriculture to 4.31 tons/ha after adopting conservation agriculture for 7 years, and how the farm was able to grow multiple crops and be resilient during drought. - Over the past 3 years, Agventure has trained over 300 farmers on conservation agriculture and crop rotation, increasing the acreage under crops like canola that is used for rotation. Agventure's message is that conservation agriculture is key to food security globally.

1. .
Jason Kamunya
Agventure Limited
Kenya
jason@agvke.com

2. Who is Agventure?
A farmers cooperative
Been practicing conservation agriculture (CA) over
the last 13 years
Fully Embrace the 3 principles of CA
Overtime, immense benefits of CA realized

3. Declining productivity
Mono cropping
Deteriorating soil
Resistance of weeds to herbicides,
Higher exposure to market risks
Venerability to weather
High input costs

4. One Farm’s Story – Annual average Rainfall 450- 600mm
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
2009 Mar 2009 Sep 2010 Mar 2010 Sep 2011 Mar 2011 Sep 2012 Mar 2012 Sep 2013 Mar 2013 Sep 2014 Mar 2014 Sep 2015 Mar 2015 Sep 2016 Mar 2016 Sep
Ol Donyo Farm Yield 2009-2016
Long term cereal av Average from 2010 Wheat Canola Barley Peas
PRE 2009
LONG
TERM
AVERAGE
YIELD 2.7 T
2009-2016
AVERAGE
YIELD 4.31 T
TONS/HA

5. Key Outcomes for Ol Donyo Farm – in CA for 7 yrs
•Resilience to poor rain fall
•Able to produce a crop from 75mm
•More crop diversity - 4 crops, 4 markets
•Less disease pressure. Better crops in best
seasons
•Sustainable farm - Had the farm continued in
mono-crop – It would not have continued for
long

6. .
Higher
productivity
Moisture
Conservation
Pests,
Diseases &
Weeds Mgmt
Better
Rooting
Soil Biology
and
structure

7. 7

8. CA Benefits Realised
Can plant early
Increased productivity
Less up front cost
Better profitability even in
poor seasons
Less risk invested in each
crop

9. Managing most of the challenges we faced
But neighbours still struggling with the same problems
Many of them
 Practice mono-cropping
 Have issues with soil health
 Do not feed their crops adequately
 Are not timely in carrying out field operation.
 Are experiencing decreasing returns
Yet we have a technology that can help
How can this technology get to them?

10. In 2017, Agventure started reaching out and training
farmers on CA and crop rotation (CR)
 Methods employed to reach out to farmers
include:-
Training, Demonstrations, Field days, and
exchange visits
 Agronomy support for farmers adopting canola as
a rotational crop provided
 Assurance of market through contract farming
Trailing other potential market led crops that could
be used for rotation - Ongoing.

12. 3 years Down - Where are we now ?
2017 2018 2019
No of Farmers
adopting canola for
rotation
32 140 311
Acreage under canola 900 2400 3,600

13. Our Message to this Conference
CA holds key to world food security,
It is an inclusive production system that can be adopted by
both large farmers and smallholders,
Has potential to provide employment to women and youth
– Direct employment, Auxiliary industries, retailing
products from the industries, Livestock, Service provision
etc.
Uplift farmers profits resulting to improved living
standards of farmers

14. Farmers’ challenges
From our experience over the last 3 years,
Farmers face challenges of accessing machinery e.g.
 Chisels ploughs
 Planters
 Fertilizer spreaders
 Spray equipment
 Harvesters
 Cleaners and Dryers

15. How can Agventure help in Mechanizing Farmers.
Farmers’ need Machinery Service providers who are:-
Trained,
Equipped,
Professional in approach and
Willing to do the right job for the farmers in
Planting, spraying and harvesting
Agventure willing to underwrite commercial mechanization
Willing to guarantee payment tied to crop off take esp. on
planting, spraying and harvesting equipment.

16. Thank you