By Felix Ochieng Akech

Moses Oloo is helping Siaya farmers survive years of failed rains by producing grafted mango and macadamia seedlings that withstand the county’s long dry spells.

“I started this nursery in 2019 after seeing how many farmers lost young trees during the long dry spells,” he said. “At first, I was just growing mango and grevillea for my own farm, but neighbors began asking for seedlings that could survive without constant watering. That’s when I realised there was a big need so I registered a small nursery and began experimenting with hardy varieties.”

Siaya has faced frequent droughts, sharp drops in food-crop yields during dry years, and extremely low forest cover at 0.23 per cent, leaving soils exposed and fruit-tree losses high. Farmers in areas such as Bondo and Rarieda have seen repeated plantings fail, pushing demand for seedlings that can survive unreliable rainfall.

Oloo trained with the County Agriculture Office and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), focusing on varieties that continue growing with limited water. “I learnt that grafted mango and macadamia varieties like Kakuzi G and Murang’a 20 can tolerate dry weather better,” he explained. “Now, I source seeds from certified suppliers like SeedCo or KEFRI to ensure they are genuine.”

His nursery produces about 3,000 seedlings a month, including grevillea, mango and macadamia, raised in compost-mixed topsoil and watered only early in the morning to reduce evaporation. The seedlings are ready for planting after three to four months.

“Most of my buyers are local farmers who’ve seen my trees survive during the dry season,” he said. “Some come from as far as the next sub-county. During planting seasons, I also get bulk orders from NGOs doing reforestation. Word of mouth and field days have really helped when one farmer’s trees thrive, ten more come asking.”

Farmers say the grafted trees are surviving where earlier plantings died. “They often tell me, ‘Your mango trees survived when the others dried up.’ That’s my biggest joy,” he said. “Some farmers who started with 10 seedlings now have over 200 trees. It’s encouraging because it shows they’re adapting to the new climate reality.”

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Water remains his biggest obstacle. During the driest months he carries jerrycans from a nearby stream, while rising prices for potting bags have pushed him to adopt recycled milk packets. “The biggest challenge is water,” he said. “During dry months, I have to fetch water from a nearby stream using jerrycans, which is tiring. The cost of potting bags has also gone up. But we’ve started using recycled milk packets for seedlings to cut costs. I’ve also built a simple shade net to reduce evaporation.”

The nursery has also changed attitudes in his community. Oloo has trained three women’s groups in grafting and seen youth open small nurseries as farmers shift to fruit trees that offer better survival in the county’s harsh climate.

“Before, farmers didn’t believe tree planting could be a business,” he said. “Now, many youth have started small nurseries, and local roadsides are greener. I want to see our area become known for fruit trees, not just maize.”

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