2022 Seed Grant Award Problem Statements 

Zero Hunger

Problem #16:  Developing of a Standard, Scalable, and Cost-effective Soil Fertility Testing Method for Small Scale Farmers in Kenya

Country/Region of execution: Kenya
Collaborating Organization: World Concern
World Concern is a Non-Governmental organization working in Kenya since 1980. Our operational areas are in Narok, Tana River, Samburu, and in Nairobi’s informal settlements; we work through multiple projects, targeting long-term sustainable development as well as disaster response. We implement community development programs designed to build on the assets, talents, skills, and natural resources already available in the target villages, reaching out to vulnerable beneficiaries with livelihood improvement programs, savings and income for transformation, spiritual transformation, nutrition, and resilient programming interventions, helping help communities respond and adapt to climate change extremes. We bring a mix of complementary technical and grant management capacities and track records in the delivery of institutional grants in the countries we work. Our project implementation is built around people, with youth and women at the center. We support the community by working with the most vulnerable to empower them through training on their diverse livelihoods.
Problem Statement Description:  Agriculture contributes 51% of Kenya’s GDP, 26% directly and 25% indirectly, and contributes 60% of employment and makes 65% of exports (World Bank, 2018). Kenya Vision 2030 prioritizes agriculture as one of the leading economic drivers to realize the 10% yearly growth rate envisaged under the economic pillar (GoK, 2008, Kenya Vision 2030). However, farmers, especially small-scale farmers, face numerous production challenges. Soil fertility is a major constraint negating farmers’ effort to increase yield and maximize crop production. Agricultural production has continued to decline as soil nutrients continue to diminish due to poor soil management. Unfortunately, peasant farmers are unable to properly fertilize their soil for lack of access to soil testing tools and facilities. Most of the small-scale farmers solely depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. As such, they have continued to cultivate the same crops on the same piece of land year after year, reducing their soil nutrients and its fertility. In addition, a lack of knowledge on soil conditions has led to the use of the wrong chemical fertilizers to treat their soils. In addition, excessive use of chemical fertilizer has also led to soil and water pollution, which has become a health risk to fauna and flora. The cost of hiring soil scientists is beyond the reach of peasant farmers. As such, most farmers depend on their personal experience and observations to gauge the fertility of the soil in the farms. World Concern is seeking to develop a standardized, scalable, and cost-effective soil fertility testing method usable by individual farmers in their farms to increase farm production and reduce over-relying on costly and inaccessible government/private laboratories, research institutions, and companies. The innovation will contribute to SDG 2 - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.