Intensification of Crop–Livestock Farming Systems in East Africa: A Comparison of Selected Sites in the Highlands of Ethiopia and Kenya

Mixed crop–livestock farms in the highlands of East Africa are undergoing a process of intensification but the constraints to intensification and the opportunities to overcome those constraints are not well understood. Survey activities were conducted from 2010 to 2011 in three sites in the highlands of Ethiopia and Kenya to (1) compare the extent of crop–livestock intensification, (2) assess constraints to intensification, and (3) explore options to overcome these constraints. Eight villages in each site were selected for the survey at two sites in Ethiopia (Kobo and Nekemte) and one (Kakamega) in western Kenya. The sites represented a gradient of productivity, increasing from the relatively extensive production system in Kobo to the more intensive production seen in Kakamega. Representative groups of 10–20 farmers were identified and interviewed in each village to gather quantitative group-level data at the village level. Results showed that the application of manure and the use of inorganic fertilizers and improved seeds were more pronounced in Kakamega and Nekemte than in Kobo. Unlike the two Ethiopian sites, 10 % of the households in the Kakamega site owned crossbred cattle. The level of intensification varied among the three sites mainly due to variations in market options and the availability of water and system-oriented technological options. Because of complexity and variation, different solutions are called for in different contexts. Dealing with some of the issues, for example, the water and technological options in Kobo, the market issue in Nekemte and the population-related issues and technological options in Kakamega, could lead to a more sustainable intensification of crop–livestock farming in the respective study sites.