Work Package 2 Author Task 2.2: Farming systems analysis (WUR)

The report provides an understanding of mango farming systems, based on a selected number of indicators that were to be considered to be relevant in relation to the interventions implemented in Kenya (a pilot for the export of dried mango flakes to Europe and a training on good agronomic management practices in mango cultivation). [...] Challenges in the mango value chain, reported by the crop officer in Kitui county at the start of the study in 2018, relate to inadequate and poor access to good quality planting materials, low productivity and quality of mangoes, erratic and unreliable rainfall, inadequate skills in mango cultivation, high incidence of diseases and pests, high cost of inputs (especially pesticides), inadequate an. [...] 3.3.1 Mango varieties The most popular grafted mango variety cultivated in Kitui Central was Apple with 96% of the farmers growing the variety and an average of 91 trees per farm (Table 6). [...] Manure application was done by half of the farmers in Mwingi West, and only one third of the farmers in Kitui Central. [...] 3.11 Marketing of mangoes 3.11.1 Cooperative membership About 60% of the farmers in Kitui Central, and 50% of the farmers in Mwingi West reported to be member of a cooperative.