Assessing production, processing and utilization of sorghum in West Pokot County, Kenya

Sorghum is one of the most important and under-utilized cereal crops in the Arid and Semi-Arid land (ASAL) regions of Kenya. The crop is grown in drought-prone marginal agricultural areas of Western Central and Eastern and coastal regions of Kenya. The diverse biotic and abiotic constraints including climate changes reduce sorghum productivity. Sorghum technology generators continue promoting suitable management practices and innovations to cushion and improve the resilience of smallholder farmers against the adverse effects of climate change. These interventions contribute to the attainment of not only household and national food security but also enhance incomes. Despite the increasing sorghum production and utilization in West Pokot County, there is limited knowledge of the status of production, processing, and utilization technologies. The aim of this study was to assess the current sorghum production, processing, utilization technology, innovations, and management practices among smallholder farmers. A household survey was undertaken using a jointly developed structured questionnaire by a multi- and inter-disciplinary team of researchers. Using a multi-stage sampling technique, 599 households were randomly selected and interviewed. Data collected were on household and farm characteristics including technologies. The study revealed that compared to maize and pasture, land allocated to sorghum enterprise was relatively low ranging from 0.32 acres to 0.80 acres with an average of 0.73 acres. The adoption of various sorghum technological components was also low. Adoption of improved sorghum varieties was less than 7% while fertilizer use was less than 20%. These contribute to low crop yields of about 140kg per acre. In addition, value addition was also low. Sorghum use was limited to ugali (56%) and porridge (39%) against the diverse value-added products including bread baking. and industrial processing of pure and blended products. More farmer and stakeholders training need to be done. In order to fully upgrade the sorghum value chain; there is the need to have targeted sorghum policies focusing on a range of activities along the value chain. These interventions could be integrated into the West Pokot County Integrated Development Plan. Key words: Sorghum, Production, Marketing, Utilization, Challenges, Opportunities, West Pokot