Cassava farming transforming livelihoods among smallholder farmers in mutomo a Semi-arid District in Kenya

Abstract

The study established that climate change is real and has negatively affected smallholder farmer families in Mutomo and as such it was prudent to introduce drought tolerant crops like cassava in order to improve food security as a climate change adaptation technology. It was evident that the elite cassava varieties from KARI were supplying the much needed carbohydrates in an affordable form. The assessment also established water scarcity is a major development-limiting factor in Mutomo that needed urgent attention. The Mutomo community had shed “Mwolyo” the hand-out mentality through adoption of appropriate technologies for this place like growing, processing, marketing, and consumption of cassava. Cassava roots were mainly marketed as fresh roots for chewing and boiling. Cassava cuttings and cakes on sale in the Mutomo market suggested that demand for cassava was rising and only need upscaling. Being dominated by agro-pastoralists, it was obvious that cassava and other crops that take more than four months before being harvested do not fit well into the system and this is an area that has to be addressed to pre-empt potential conflicts.