The presentation by Dr. Abigael Otinga (University of Eldoret) introduces the concept of integrated management of trees, crops and livestock on farm and at the landscape scales, and their benefits in terms of increasing, sustainably, agricultural production. The presentation builds on a Technical Guidance Document on “Mainstreaming ecosystem services and biodiversity in agricultural production and management in East Africa”, published by FAO in 2016, and was given at a national training workshops for stakeholders involved in the revision of the Kenya NBSAP that was held at ICRAF in Nairobi, 25-26 May 2016. More information on the event are available at: www.fao.org/africa/news/detail-news/en/c/417489/ The activities were carried out under the EU-funded project “Capacity building related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries – Phase 2” (ACP/MEAs2).

1. Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
and Integration of Crops, trees and
Livestock
Abigael Nekesa Otinga
School of Agriculture and Biotechnology,
University of Eldoret, Kenya
May 2016

2. INTRODUCTION TO THE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES PROVIDED BY
FARM-LEVEL MANAGEMENT: CROP, TREE AND LIVESTOCK INTEGRATION
Increasing agricultural production to meet Africa’s growing population while
preserving habitats and other ecosystem services is to diversify farming
systems through integration of crops with animals and/or trees.
Diversified farming systems promote agrobiodiversity at multiple spatial
and/or temporal scales in order to maintain ecosystem services that provide
critical inputs to agriculture, such as soil fertility, pest and disease control,
water use efficiency and pollination, thus reducing the need for off-farm
inputs
Agriculture = 40% terrestrial land use
(Ramankuty and Foley, 1999)

3.  Effects of deforestation- strips the soil of minerals,
reduces water supply and threatens food security-
the deforestation rate in Africa is 4 x that of the
world (AWF, 2015)
 Agriculture-has also been criticized as an important
contributor to deforestation when forest land is
cleared to pave way for crop production.
 Loss of biodiversity directly through continuous
destruction of natural habitat of organisms and
through negative environmental effects of intensive
agriculture such as toxification from pesticides and
fertilizer and generation of greenhouse gases from
fossil fuels.
 Integrating crops, livestock and trees provides an
opportunity to minimise these effects and manage
agriculture in a sustainable way
Agroforestry: integration of trees in agricultural systems

4. Benefits of Agroforestry (Rao et al., 2007;
Jamnadass et al., 2013).-
 provide shade;
 permit a steady and diversified supply of food and
income throughout the year;
 protect soils, springs and watersheds;
 arrests degradation and maintain soil fertility; to
enhance efficiency of the use of soil nutrients, water
and radiation;
 provide regular employment
 Agroforestry also supports other ecosystem services
such as pollination and carbon sequestration
What is Agroforestry?
the inclusion of trees in farming systems and their management in
rural landscapes to enhance productivity, profitability, diversity an
ecosystem sustainability”

5.  the intensive agroforestry systems of central Kenya;
 Taita agricultural landscapes;
 Ameru agroforestry systems;
 the traditional furrow irrigation system of the Marakwet;
 the Amaya irrigation system in Samburu;
 the Ngebotok irrigation system in Turkana County;
 and agropastoral and fishing systems of the Ilchamus of
Baringo County.
Types Agroforestry systems- Kitalyi, Wambugu and Kimaro (2013)
Beneftis of these systems-
increase in incomes through the sale of tree products such as timber,
charcoal and plywood as well as fruits and surplus food produced.
In subsistence agriculture, they provide fuels for cooking such as charcoal
and fuelwood.
Agroforestry systems are also potential sources of biofuel.

6. Types of crop−livestock diversification patterns in Keiyo
District in the Rift Valley, Kenya-Iiyama et al., (2007)
 maize and indigenous cattle;
 improved (exotic) cattle and fruits;
 extensive crop production;
 sheep and goats; and
 Dairy goats
The degree of integration among crop types determined
the intensification of manure use
Integrated crop−livestock systems

7. Biologically- diversified farming systems improve
ecosystem services …
Different components of an integrated cropping systems provide many benefits

8. Biologically- diversified farming systems improve
ecosystem services relative to monocultures…
Ecosystem service important to
farmers
Services for the public
 Soil fertility
 Water Use efficiency
 Resistance and resilience to
extreme weather events
 Control of weeds, diseases
and anthropod pests
 Biodiversity
 Water quality
 Reduced energy use
 Carbon sequestration

9. Examples of integrated farming systems and their benefits
in East Africa
Contribution to Household Incomes –effects of fodder shrubs on milk
production in Kenya
Resilience of Integrated Systems: integrating crops with trees such as
Grevillea robusta and deciduous Alnus acuminata and Paulownia fortunei
with understorey maize crops at sites in Naro Moru and Thika, Kenya, -
resource capture is increased, these performed better during short rains;
banana and coffee-banana provided mulch and increased availability of K
Nutrient use efficiency- Combining annual and perennial crops provided
higher internal nutrient cycling than the monoculture-helped in nutrient
retrieval and reduced nutrient leaching.
Reduced use of agrochemicals – modified “push-pull” reduced need for
pesticides/herbicides ; intercropping bananas with sweet potatoes reduced
the incidence of the root lesion nematode around the Lake Victoria basin
Soil fertility- Tithonia green manure: kale grown with Tithonia spp.
outperformed kale grown with all the other sources of nitrogen. In addition,
Tithonia spp. ameliorated soil acidity, increasing soil nutrients

10. Example – The Push pull Technology in western
Kenya….(one well documented example)
Biological control of pests
and weeds
 The stemborer moth larvae a
menace to maize in Kenya-
This larvae can cause up to
80% yield losses..
 Similarly, the striga weed
causes 30-100% yield losses in
cereals especially maize-This
weed affects 24% of the area
in Kenya
The combined losses of these 2
are estimated at US$ 7 billion
year-1

11. The Push pull Technology in western Kenya-
Results
Means from 30 farmers in
western Kenya through two
cropping cycles in 2009 Khan et al.
(2012)
Profits up 3x! Not
only yields but lower
costs…
Greenpeace Africa (2015)
Striga decreases
Stemborer decreases
Yields increases

12. Enabling policy already in place in the
country
Some of the policies that exist and incorporate the issue ecosystem services and
agriculture are
1. The Agriculture Act (revised in 2012),
2. The 2013 Crops Act, 3.
3. Agriculture and Livestock Research Act (2013).
Example: Ngendo et al., (2013) reviewed six agricultural policies related to
Conservation Agriculture With Trees (CAWT.) Some of the agricultural policies
they reviewed included;
 Agriculture Act (Chapter 318),
 Agriculture (Basic Land Usage) Rules,
 Agriculture (Farm Forestry) Rules,
 Forest Act 2005, National Land Policy and
 Agricultural Sector Development Strategy.

13.  The incentives-general in nature and favor both rich and poor
farmers, however they are more accessible to the rich or large
scale farmers; incentives targeted to smallholder farmers remain
limited.
 The agriculture (Farm Forestry) Rules of 2009 offers an
incentive of compliance certificate to any farmer who
maintains 10% forest cover in their farm. Since the certificate
doesn’t translate to any tangible gains they do not provide any
key motivation
 Weakness of these policies: Somehow vague on specific
integrated crop livestock and agroforestry integration. Most of
them at least refer to the specific component, thus a gap that
can be addressed in being more explicit
Enabling policy already in place in the
country

14. How to address Integrated Farming Systems and
their Ecosystem services in NBSAPs
Needs include:
Measures/incentives
• Characterization of traditional agricultural systems as a basis for
integration;
• Dissemination of information on integrated systems;
• Develop measures that result in better incomes and employment of
labour in agriculture, to support the more labour-intensive integrated
farming systems;
• Incentives in conserving biodiversity to include resources such efficient
management of land/soil and water.
Policies
• Policies are needed that recognise integrated crop livestock, farm forestry
and agro forestry as components that contribute to ecosystem services;
• Integrated farming systems should be well defined in the general
agriculture policies:
• Incorporation of agro-ecology or diversification into agricultural policies;
• Policies should address constraints and interests of farmers, and farm
labourers.