Climate-Smart Farming Training Reaches 8,000 Households in Northern Region
A multi-season training programme on climate-adaptive practices has completed its first full cycle, with measurable improvements in crop diversity and input efficiency.
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NASFAM's climate-smart agriculture training programme has completed its first full cycle across northern district associations, reaching a total of 8,000 farming households. The programme, delivered through a cascade training model using field officers and lead farmers, focused on soil health management, water conservation, crop diversification, and early warning system use.
Participating farmers received hands-on instruction in minimum tillage techniques, cover cropping, and the use of organic amendments to improve soil water retention. In areas where rainfall has become increasingly unpredictable, these practices have helped farmers protect yields during dry spells and reduce input costs by improving natural soil fertility over successive seasons.
Crop diversification was a core emphasis of the programme, with farmers encouraged to integrate legumes into their maize-based rotations. Beyond soil benefits, the diversification strategy has created additional income streams for participating households, with soya bean and pigeon pea sales supplementing maize earnings in ways that reduce overall income vulnerability.
Field monitoring across the first cycle showed that households implementing the recommended practices reported notably lower rates of total crop failure compared to non-participating neighbours in the same communities during the period of below-average rainfall experienced mid-season. The results have been submitted for independent review and will inform a planned scale-up in the second programme cycle.