Kenya: Improving Rural Livelihoods Boosts Agrarian Economies
For two decades, Dickson Kamau only grew maize on his 0.5 hectare (ha) of land earning himself the nickname Kamau wa mbembe or Kamau who owns maize in his native Kikuyu language.
"The maize business was always very good. Good production and the profit was enough to provide for my family and educate all my seven children all the way to the university," he told IPS. As a result, this commercial maize farmer rose to become one of the main suppliers of maize in his small village of Rumuruti in Laikipia County located on the Equator in the Rift Valley region, some 266 kilometers from the capital Nairobi.
But climate change, particularly rising temperatures, high cost of fertiliser and pesticide as well as poor storage facilities almost brought his maize business to a halt six years ago.
Kamweti Mutu