How to Increase Maize Yields from 8 to 22 Bags Per Acre

For more than 10 years, Martha Muthoni has been actively involved in farming. However, for all these years, the traditional farming method she practiced has not been productive. “I used to plant potatoes, but they were not doing well. I wondered what could have been the problem. It was way later that I knew the traditional farming method was the cause for poor yields,” remarks Martha. To add to her misery, the harsh climatic weather conditions further dwindled her farm produce. Martha could lose 30 percent of her crops.

However, according to Martha, a resident of Oljororok Sub County, Nyandarua County, the moment she was linked to Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA), she was able to gain insights on the appropriate farming methods that are responsive to the effects of climate change and unpredictable weather patterns. From her 10 years of experience in farming, Martha admits the past 2 years have been a phenomenon. She attributes the transformation in her farm to being greatly influenced by the knowledge of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) she has gained from FtMA. “After being introduced to CSA but more importantly to Conservation Agriculture (CA) my approach in farming changed,” says Martha. She quickly adopted the CA practice and used it at her farm. “I nowadays do minimum tillage and engage in Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) to increase the soil fertility levels, which ensures I get a good harvest,” notes Martha. By practising ISFM, Martha has seen increased crop yield and income. In ISFM, Martha ensures that she mixes the soil properly to absorb water. She also does chiselling, which causes fewer disturbances to the soil. More importantly, she plants certified seeds resistant to pests and diseases. Further, instead of ploughing, Martha plucks weeds using their hands, which causes minimal disturbance to the soil. 

In addition, Martha fully practices crop rotation and plants crop cover for residue retention. In this way, the soil maintains its nutrient level, which benefits the crops.  Using organic manure has reduced Martha’s expenses by more significant margins. “I only use manure sparingly,” notes Martha. She also saves money by ripping. Crop rotation has ensured her land maintains its fertility level and has less infestation of pests and diseases. “Like last season, I planted maize, and after harvesting, I replaced the maize with potatoes,” says Martha. She later planted legumes such as beans and peas to add nitrogen to the soil. 

As a Farmer Service Centre (FSC), Martha has ensured she teaches other farmers CSA and what they need to do to engage in profitable farming. Working with 185 farmers in her network and training the farmers on CA, Martha notes that 83 farmers have fully embraced CA. All these farmers practice minimum tillage, crop rotation, chiselling, ripping, and plant crop cover for soil management. Martha is also proud that 17 farmers have biogas, 50 engage in water harvesting, and 20 have fully adopted ISFM.

Before adopting CA, Martha only harvested 8 bags of 90kg maize from a one-acre piece of land. But after doing chiselling and using organic fertilizer, she harvested 22 bags of maize from the same piece of land. The increase in crop yield encouraged Martha to train more farmers to adopt CA. Martha has also trained farmers in her network on how to generate biogas, which helps them reduce the use of charcoal, hence preventing the farmers from chest-related sickness and depletion of the environment by cutting trees. Today, Martha boasts of 17 farmers who have fully adopted biogas technology in their homes. 

The farmers in Martha’s network are grateful to Martha and FtMA for sharing biogas technology with them. They say that it has saved them from purchasing fuel and against the risk of diseases. Also, they claim their production has increased by high margins. “Most farmers did not have bank accounts, but after CA came into the picture and they started making money, most of them have bank accounts,” claims Martha. For Martha, her life has been transformed; a mother who used to struggle with bills can now settle her bills and take good care of her family. “I sell herbicides and earn a commission. I am never broke. I use the money to pay school fees. My children are never sent home for fees anymore, and we eat a balanced diet,” admits Martha. After the practice CA increased Martha’s crop yield by over 100 percent, she has been able to increase the land she uses to farm and plans to open an agro vet. 

Martha is thankful to FtMA for sharing her knowledge on CA and helping her better her life with the money she earns from the farm. As a CA champion, Martha hopes to turn her farm into the Center of Excellence (CoE) in sustainable CSA practices and use her knowledge to change the lives of other farmers.