An African success story.

• Author: Chege, Nancy
• Position: Farming and conservation

In the Machakos district of south-eastern Kenya, bananas, coffee, and maize grow thick on terraces that climb the sloping land like many staircases. Standing in cool, green contrast to the parched, scrub vegetation that spreads beyond the horizon, and across much of Kenya, the terraces of Machakos make the region more than just an aesthetic exception; it is an economic one too. With approximately 70 percent of its arable land terraced, the region has produced one of Africa's best records of soil and water conservation, and its growth in agricultural output has even outpaced its high population growth rate of 3 percent.

A look at the fields in Machakos gives the impression that the area has always been productive and well managed. But that is not the case. At the beginning of the century, colonial British farmers established large coffee and sisal plantations that attracted migrant laborers from surrounding villages. As the number of people and livestock in the area grew, so did the pressures on the land, and the consequences of the migrant influx began to take their toll. By the early 1930s, Machakos was overgrazed, denuded, and in trouble. Agricultural productivity was plummeting and soil was eroding at rates as high as 13 tons per acre annually.

In response, the colonial government in Nairobi imposed a mandatory reconditioning program that forced villagers to reduce their herds of livestock, fence off extremely degraded land to allow "natural healing," and construct terraces for growing crops. At first, little progress was made because the farmers despised and resisted the coercive program. During the mid-1940s, the reconditioning activities gained momentum when a local leader, Chief Mutinda, imposed a fine of two bulls on any farmer who cultivated un-terraced land.

But soil conservation efforts in Machakos languished when men left home to fight the colonial forces during Kenya's struggle for independence from British rule in the 1950s, and during the turbulent resettlement period of the 1960s.

Once life returned to normal, the people of Machakos, the Akamba, were eager to reverse the deteriorating condition of their land. In 1974, Kenya's Ministry of Agriculture established the National Soil and Water Conservation Project, with support from the Swedish International Development Agency. The Soil and Water officials worked closely with the Akamba, treating them as partners and successfully persuading them to restart the construction of...