I tell you, there is no any other fortified foodstuff comparable to our locally homemade,” she says. According to John Obwanda, Agricultural Extension Officer in Siaya County, some of the root causes of soil infertility include erosion either by wind or run-off water.

He regrets that the county has very poor tree cover yet residents are heavily involved in burning charcoal. Obwanda exposes that residents claim to be farmers by heart and through experience yet none consults agricultural experts for advice. He refutes claim on use of fertilisers as the root cause of poor yields and other predicament farmers practice.

“When a farmer cut all trees in his farm and burn charcoal, the possibility of top soil being washed away is high. Again, poor ploughing along the contours using tractor is the leading basis for losing soil nutrients found in top soil,” Obwanda cautions.

He advises that most humus responsible for soil fertility are found at the top layer and plants use it to enrich themselves. He therefore advises farmers to always seek guidance from experts instead of assuming that every seed or crops are suitable for any region. Wear and tear are yet another source of soil infertility in a land that is cultivated over and over again.

Every year, a farmer should endeavor to grow a different crop from previous year to break monotony. The rotational farming helps the land in regaining its nutrients, fertility, control for pests and diseases and holds soil together preventing erosion.

He emphasized that fertile soils give better returns with nutrition hence farmers need not bother much about fortification. “When soil is cultivated throughout the year, the living microorganisms are not given time for aeration and to decompose other living matter such as leaves among others,” he says.