StopStriga and Gro-Plus Seed priming and bio-pesticides
Expected impact – amended October 2010

For maize, the mean financial benefits of this project to small-scale farmers are estimated at KES 1,800 shillings per hectare, or 250 kg/ha of increased maize. The impact will be greater in areas traditionally more heavily infested with Striga.

The estimated value to the rural economy of Nyanza will be KES 25.9 million in one planting season. This is assuming an uptake of 10% of the households in the target area. This initiative's main drivers are the immediate significant economic benefits, additionally to improved food security.

Sustainability will be through a private company that has an interest in expanding the uptake of the products after project completion.

Low yields and even total crop failure can result from heavy Striga infestation and poor quality farmer-saved seed. These twin issues are the major threat to small-scale cereal growers in western Kenya. The promotion of the Striga mycoherbicide (Fusarium oxysporum f. Sp. Strigae isolate Foxy 2) and seed priming will improve food security and enable farmers to produce marketable surpluses. Sustainability will be ensured by the significant benefits of adopting the new technology at both the subsistence and cash-crop levels.

Field trials have shown that when using a mycoherbicide, Striga emergence is reduced to zero or very low levels, whilst yields have correspondingly increased by up to 92%. There are no field trials on the impact of seed priming on Striga infestation; however, rapid establishment of maize plants may help reduce the Striga problem. The programme is also piloting the use of Gro-Plus alone to see the impact of the seed priming fertiliser on productivity.

Maize yields

Striga status	Estimated yield
Without Striga	1.5 tonnes per hectare
Moderate Striga	0.7 tonnes per hectare
Severe Striga	0.3 tonnes per hectare