Forward



To achieve the government's objective of food self-sufficiency,
Kenya's farmers must increase food production and ensure its
proper preservation in order to satisfy the rapidly increasing
population. The On-Farm Grain Storage Project, sponsored by the
Ministry of Agriculture, is introducing improved grain storage
management technology to the small-scale farmers. One of the
efforts of achieving this aim is through the reduction of losses to
rodents, birds, moulds and insects. These losses, which could reach
25% or more, occur in farms from the time grain reaches maturity
in the field until it is consumed.
The project was initiated in 1983 using the regular agricultural
extension services to disseminate the technologies to the farmers.
The field extension workers are expected to accomplish this by
working with individuals, and sometimes by organizing field days
attended by large groups of farmers.
Having only a minimum of training in extension communication
skills, few reference materials, and practically no visual aids, some
of the Agricultural Assistants have not been able to communicate
the project's and other messages as effectively as the Ministry
would like. The Ministry hopes, therefore, that through this
extension communication manual, the effectiveness of the front-
line extensions workers will be significantly increased.
This manual will also be useful at the Institutes of Agriculture,
which are responsible for training the future frontline agricultural
extension workers.


E. K. Kandie
Director of Agriculture