Best Management Practices

Use these tools to assess the risk of developing herbicide-resistant weeds and to manage fields with resistant weed populations. By bringing diverse crop management techniques to their farms, growers can mitigate the development and spread of herbicide-resistant weeds.

Weed populations typically have a wide range of genetic variability. A small number of plants in any weed populations may include genetic traits that are resistant to specific herbicides. When a herbicide is applied, most of the susceptible plants are controlled, but resistant plants continue to grow. If allowed to set seed, these resistant weeds could grow and set seed the next year if the same herbicide was used.

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Climate Outlook for the March to May 2023 Rainfall Season

March to May (MAM) constitutes an important rainfall season, particularly in the equatorial parts of the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA), where MAM rainfall contributes up to 60% of the total annual rainfall. Analysis of global climate model predictions from 7 Global Producing Centres (GPCs) customized for the GHA indicates that drier than normal conditions are most likely to continue over the drought affected regions of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. Enhanced probability for below normal rainfall is also expected over parts of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and western South Sudan. On the other hand, wetter than normal conditions are expected over the cross-border areas of Ethiopia and South Sudan, north-western Kenya, and parts of central and southern Tanzania. In other parts of the region, including parts of central to western Kenya, north-eastern and southwestern Uganda, northern Burundi, central and northern Tanzania, and eastern South Sudan, there is no favoured rainfall category with predictions indicating equal chances of below, normal, and above normal rainfall.

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Rice

Rice is currently the third important staple crop after maize and wheat in Kenya. It can be considered as an alternative cereal to supplement maize as it is preferred by households in ASAL regions (WB 2011).

Despite the achievements in the last decade of NRDS Phase 1 (2008- 2018) in doubling rice production, the consumption has continued to rise bill. The increase in demand is attributable to the changing eating habits coupled with a growing population with high consumption by the youth. To meet this demand and reduce the import bill, calls for hard work among achievable through expansion of area under rice production as well as during the NRDS Phase 2 implementation. The actual irrigated area is targeted to increase from 32,988 - 171,676 Ha, while rain-fed production area is targeted to increase from 10,631 - 42,000 Ha by 2030. Paddy rice productivity under irrigation is targeted to increase from the current average of 4.0 to 7.5 t/Ha, rain-fed upland from 1.5 to 2.5 t/Ha and rain-fed lowlands from 2.0 to 3.5 t/Ha.

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Kenya’s Seasonal Rains Keep Failing-What needs to be done

What’s known about changing weather patterns in Kenya?
Kenya’s weather patterns are changing. The change in rainfall patterns has a huge impact on Kenya because 98% of the country’s agriculture is rain-fed. The major challenge that farmers face is timing. It’s critical for them to know when rains start and stop so that they know when to plant or harvest their crops.

Most parts of Kenya experience two rain seasons: March to May’s “long rains” and October to December’s “short rains”. The months of June to August are mainly cool and dry over most parts of the country except for some parts in the western region that report some rains. Hot and dry conditions are observed over the entire country in January and February. In recent years, the delay in rains has become a norm.

Other than rainfall patterns, studies show a reduction in the amount of rainfall, especially during the March to May “long rains”. This is a worrying trend given that this is the main growing season.

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