Dedan Kimathi University has started a three-year project that will train 1,200 farmers in Nyeri county on chia farming and value addition.
The project is called 'The Potential of Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) Farming in Kenya for Improved Food Security, Nutrition and Health.
Already, the university has established a chia demonstration farm and developed several products from the plant.
Chia, which is little known in Kenya, is a cereal originating in Mexico. The Mexican Indians domesticated it and it became their staple food.
Chia seed is rated as super food in the world and is common in the developed countries.
Monica Mburu, a food scientist and lecturer at the university who conducted research on the plant, said the university was partnering with other stakeholders in the project.
They include Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and the Nyeri county government.
The learning institution will use county government extension officers to build capacity of farmers.
“After that, there will be sustainability through farmers training, field days and we will also train them on product development and on how they can form cooperatives or groups and brand their products,” she said.
Chia has nutritional and health benefits and is ideal for those with lifestyle diseases as it boosts their immunity, Mburu said.
She spoke during a one-day chia stakeholders workshop held at Dedan Kimathi University in Nyeri on Friday.
“We have engaged researchers in terms of food and nutrition and characterisation of chia in terms of developing products. We have about six researchers who are doing research in various fields including safety,” she said.
“Of course it has been reported by one of the researchers that for now chia in the market have been free of aflatoxin.”
The cereal is high in protein and oil. Products developed by the university include chia yoghurt, baked products such as murfins and cookies and capsulated chia oil.
Chia is also used as a stabilizer in making of macadamia butter while chia leaves are used as vegetables.
“We also have one special product that we have developed together with the county government known as the cow cake which can be given to cattle as it is being milked,” she said.
The cake is made with chia chaff, stock, molasses and the cake obtained after extraction of chia oil which is ideal for binding the cake.
Chia oil can also make lotion and hair food.
Patrick Gicheru, a soil scientist and a director at KALRO Embu, said the research organisation’s objective in the project is to know where farmers can get chia seeds.
“Up to now we have only one variety of seed and our farmers are cutting across the entire agroecological zones from the high to the low rainfall areas,” he said.
Currently Kenya is growing a mixture of white and black varieties.
KALRO is doing research to come up with seeds suitable for all agroecological zones and advise farmers accordingly.
The organization has been getting seeds from Germany and South America.
Farmers who have ventured in chia farming said they turned to the crop after earnings in traditional cash crops reduced due to invasion of pests, diseases and climate change.
Samuel Ng’ang’a from Ng’arua in Laikipia who had attended the workshop said he was growing wheat and maize as cash crops before diversifying to chia over a year ago.
He has put about five acres of his farm under chia. The plant, he said, is not labour intensive as not much weeding is required.
His sentiments are shared by Jane Gachura and Fridah Gituma both from Naro Moru in Kieni East who have been growing chia for over a year.
Farmers sell the seeds at Sh300 per kilo which is far better than maize. Chia takes three to four months to mature.