Presentations at the FORMAT meeting were divided into five sessions, 

each with a different theme. A brief summary of those sessions follow.

Principles of Organic Resource Management. The session consisted of six, 15 minute talks followed by 30 minutes of open discussion. At the end of this session, roundtable introductions were conducted. Constraints, opportunities by organizations involved in training, research and extension in organic resource management were highlighted. Emphasis was placed upon the fundamentals of organic resource management and the need for training to better access recent research findings. Organic farming and innovative resource management are useful avenues for farmers and urban residents alike to improve their incomes. Mechanisms are needed to better popularize proven practises and products among potential beneficiaries. It was observed that organic resource management is not well covered in Kenyan educational curriculum. Grassroots development organizations have taken the lead in training and researchers now recognize the importance of adaptive, on-site studies although weak linkages and poor exchange of information continue to constrain the impacts from better organic resource management. For example, common materials are often not processed or applied in efficient manners that are well known among researchers. Declining organic resource availability and the costs of mineral fertilizers often restrict application of integrated nutrient management. Wider application of participatory approaches and policies that promote organic resource management are also required. Many speakers emphasized the importance of adding value to organic materials as an important means of income generation.

Organic Resource Management in Practice. This session consisted of a general, 15 minute presentation followed by six, 10 minute talks on specific organic resource management strategies. Organic resources identified include plant residues, manure and compost, agricultural by-products, and plant biomass transfer. The processes include organic residue decomposition of water hyacinth, manure and urban wastes. Improved organic resource management technologies depend on the physical characteristics and chemical composition of available materials and the needs of those who have access to them. Practical uses for organic resources must be described in reader-friendly guidelines that are distributed to potential clients. Combination of organic resources with mineral fertilizers improves their value while improved management enhance their quality and nutrient use efficiency, however, this practise is questioned by organic farmers. The use of water hyacinth as animal feed and compost, and conversion of urban domestic wastes into organic fertilizers promote environmental protection, food production and generate incomes. Constraints related to bulkiness, required labour and limited access hinder more intensive use of organic resources. The improvement of organic resource processing requires greater attention within both the research and development communities as optimal management is often highly site and client specific.

Innovative Organic Resource Management. This session was devoted to presentations on new developments in organic resource management. It consisted of a 15 minute opening presentation on the importance of innovation in technology development, followed by 7, ten minute talks on several promising technologies. These talks covered herbal pesticides and medicine, carbonization of organic wastes, the use of Tithonia diversifolia as a soil input and better management of intercrops. Herbal pesticides and medicines are affordable but their levels of use are decreasing because many non-cultivated, traditional plants are endangered. Incorporation of dry leaves of T. diversifolia into the soil improves crop yields but is not readily accessed by farmers. It is possible to increase the yields of maize and legume intercrops without additional inputs by staggering two rows of legume with those of maize. Two presentations by farmers revealed that better management of organic resources in smallholder zero grazing systems reduces farming costs, increases farm incomes and improves environmental quality. The session concluded with a 40 minute panel discussion on the difficulties in identifying when a new technology may be applicable to concerned stakeholders. It was noted that some widely promoted agricultural practises are ineffective under particular growing conditions. The innovations that gain immediate acceptance are those where value is added to otherwise wasted resources rather than where longer-term, obscure benefits are sought. 

A participatory means of natural resource problem-solving presented by Paul Woomer

From Principles to Products: Adding Value to Organic Resources. An additional session, consisting of five, 10 minute presentations, was devoted specifically to the invention and distribution of products derived from organic resources. Private sector interests have much to offer through the development and marketing of innovative products, expert consultancy, extension of credit and advocacy regarding the interpretation of product standards and liberalization policies. These roles can be enhanced through wider dissemination of summarized research findings, client-to-client training and enabling resource management policies and regulations. Handcrafts fashioned from water hyacinth provide income as a cottage industry while advancing community mobilization toward aquatic weed reduction in Lake Victoria. Lower-cost cooking oil and livestock cake produced from sunflower has resulted in smallholder income generation in western Kenya. Scientists at Moi University have developed a soil fertility restoration package that is being widely tested by NGOs. The package replenishes phosphorus while resulting in increased crop yields. Preparation of pesticides from Mexican sunflower and tobacco may reduce farmers’ dependency on industrial pesticides, however, there remains a paucity of information on the chemical composition and efficacy of this and other concoctions.

Information and Collaboration in Organic Resource Management. Many grassroots organizations have a tendency to work in relative isolation, causing workers who confront similar difficulties to develop solutions without the benefit of one another’s hard-earned experience. While some organizations are separated by some differences in their respective environmental and developmental philosophies, sufficient incentive remains to share information on their common concerns. Training of farmers in soil conservation, nutrient recycling, biological control of pests and diseases and entrepreneurship is being successfully undertaken by the Manor House Agricultural Centre in Kitale and the Anglican Church of Kenya in Eldoret. A grassroots agriculture support project (GRASP) is being initiated to resolve the lack of capacity by NGOs to conduct valid experiments and to prepare concise, accurate information packages from their own findings. Participatory methods of data collection and distribution of information through workshops and field days were identified as crucial to local success, as is the publication of guidelines written in local languages and containing simple illustrations. CARE reported that facilitation of community structures, such as self-help groups, is vital to conducting relevant on-site research and client training. There remains a broad impression that many important discoveries do not achieve useful impact because researchers continue to publish their findings in technical journals rather than in forms better used by stakeholders.

Organic Resources Notebook | Format Photos | Format Feedback Form

          Back to the top                Terms of use