Crop Diversity Fares Better Than Monocropping Against Climate Change
Kenya's Samwel Kamundai has found an innovative way to buffer against hunger, malnutrition and poverty and it involves intensive crop diversification in his three acre farm.
The small-scale farmer in Kenya's Nakuru county had until 2013 been practicing monocropping that later proved risky and unsustainable in the light of climatic stresses and declining soil fertility.
He grew only maize in his farm but thanks to encouragement from extension workers, Kamundai diversified into other crops like legumes and fresh produce.
"Growing maize alone is risky since a farmer can lose an entire harvest to diseases and pests. There is need therefore to explore other crops that can act as a buffer against hunger during the dry spell," Kamundai told Xinhua during a recent interview.
His farm is currently an embodiment of multiple benefits than crop diversification can unleash to smallholders.
Neil Palmer/CIAT