About SFAL

The Sector Forum for Agriculture and Livestock (SFAL) is an instrument under the FCDC to enhance cooperation, coordination and information flow between counties on issues related to agriculture and livestock.

County Executive Committee Members (CECs) of the ten FCDC Counties hold regular meetings and the SFAL Secretariat implements decisions taken by the Forum. SFAL currently implements the “Strengthening Livestock Sector in Arid and Semi-Arid areas of Kenya” (LSS Project) funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

The SFAL Objectives

  • To enhance agriculture and livestock productivity in the FCDC region.
  • To harmonize policies for agriculture and livestock and County agricultural/ livestock sector plans (as part of CIDPs).
  • To coordinate infrastructure developments in the region, create synergies and avoid duplication.
  • To debate inter-county issues related to agriculture and livestock and develop binding agreements, recommendations, or information documents to resolve them.
  • To act as a forum for exchanging information and learning; conduct joint assessments and share best practices.
  • To advocate on issues related to agriculture and livestock, food security, pastoralism, and drought in FCDC Counties.

SFAL priority Areas for 2018-2021

1. Regional Rangeland management

SFAL takes the lead in providing support to the development of rangeland management policies and legislation to create frameworks for sustainable and holistic management of rangelands and rangeland resources at the county level.
SFAL has developed a regional fodder and pasture strategy (2019-2028) that focuses on Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) Counties of Kenya and covers both natural pasture and cultivated fodder. The strategy has identified specific interventions to fill large feed deficits and unmet demand for livestock feed in the ASALs.

The Sector Forum has also worked on drought preparedness and management by mapping seasonal migration and marketing routes and training county staff. It is an active member of the NDMA-led Ending Drought Emergencies (EDE) Pillar 4 on Sustainable Livelihoods.

2. Regional livestock disease control

The Sector Forum advocated improved herd management and veterinary governance by providing adequate human, material, and financial resources. It has developed a regional common programme framework for livestock disease control in the FCDC region. In supporting the Framework implementation, SFAL has developed a coordination mechanism to enhance coordinated vaccination campaigns and has pushed for a standardized approach towards availability and payment for veterinary pharmaceuticals.

3. Strengthening County Departments of Agriculture & Livestock

Livestock productivity will only increase if County departments can offer reliable and affordable quality services to livestock holders. SFAL has supported County departments to review their organizational structures and staff profiles and put in place measures and systems to increase efficiency, accountability, and performance of departmental staff and services provided to livestock holders. Systems to computerize Human Resources have been promoted, and peer-to-peer learning and training on the use of the government’s GRHIS system have been supported by SFAL.

4. Knowledge management and advocacy

SFAL has advocated within FCDC counties, at the national level, and vis-à-vis international partners on issues relevant to enhancing agriculture and livestock productivity and improving livelihoods of the pastoralist communities. Learning, knowledge management tools such as local radio have been promoted to facilitate knowledge transfer to remote and hard-to-reach communities.