Pioneer adaptation farmers inspire adoption of climate-smart innovations in Bomet County, Kenya

In Bomet County, Kenya, where agricultural traditions run deep, two families and their farms are redefining what it means to farm with resilience and purpose. The two farms belong to Thomas and Emily Yebei from Rongena village and Richard and Nancy Koske from Leldaet village. Their holdings, though modest in size, have become living classrooms where adaptation, innovation, and community learning come together to counter the challenges of climate change.

At first glance, they may seem like ordinary smallholders, but their fields, livestock, and practices tell a different story. These “pioneer adaptation households” have transformed their livelihoods through a climate-smart initiative by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).

The two families are part of 50 pioneer adaptation households that ILRI is working with in two counties (Bomet and Nandi). The selected family farms have proven to be more effective at adapting to climate change than others in the similar circumstances. Through them, the ILRI program promotes locally developed practices that improve milk yields, shorten calving intervals, and build resilient farm systems as local solutions to climate change.

A journey rooted in tradition
Thomas Yebei, 67, a retired banker and former teacher, traces his passion for agriculture back to the 1970s when he helped his father on the family farm in Rongena Village, Sotik sub-county. His wife, 58-year-old Emily, also grew up in a farming household where proceeds from maize and cattle provided food and school fees. When the couple married, they carried on these traditions, experimenting with dairy, poultry, and crop farming.

Similarly, in Leldaet Village, Tarakwa sub-county, Richard and Nancy Koske’s farming journey began in the 1980s. Richard, now 70, was then a civil servant, while Nancy, 65, ran small businesses. Using their earnings, they slowly acquired a herd of dairy cows and built a mixed farm that today sustains their household.

“We were born into farming. From an early age, we learned that farming, if done correctly, could bring in better income than some salaried jobs,” Richard recalls.

Building climate-smart farms
Feed management is one of the cornerstones of climate-smart dairy farming. The Yebeis grow fodder crops such as Desmodium, Calliandra, sweet potato vines, Brachiaria, and sorghum silage.

“I learned that cows, just like humans, need balanced diets containing carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins,” Emily explains.
The Koskes, too, emphasize homegrown fodder. Their seven Ayrshire and Friesian cows graze in rotational paddocks, supplemented with Napier grass, Desmodium, and sweet potato vines. Richard highlights the payoff: “Feed management has been the most important part of our farm. It has increased milk production and helped reduce calving intervals.”

By harvesting and storing hay during rainy seasons, both families ensure a steady supply of feed during droughts. As a result, they have reduced reliance on external inputs, improved milk yields, and secured profits even in harsh seasons.

Innovations and practices
Beyond fodder, both households employ a range of adaptation practices. The Yebeis use artificial insemination for breeding, vaccinate and deworm their livestock regularly, and practise zero-grazing alongside paddock grazing. They harvest rainwater and have even integrated biogas production, reducing reliance on firewood.

For the Koskes, herd management has been a revelation. Once keeping 12 cows, they now maintain just seven high-yielding ones, supported by disciplined record-keeping on inputs and outputs.
“It’s not about having many cows; it is about having productive ones,” Richard says. “We now get more milk from fewer cattle, and our expenses have gone down.”
Emily has also diversified into poultry and vegetable farming, making her own chicken feed and managing raised-bed gardens. Nancy complements Richard’s dairy farming by overseeing vegetable plots, banana and coffee crops, and chickens. Both women are proof that adaptation is not only about technical practices but also about the vital role of women in farm decision-making and food security.

From learning to teaching
Both couples emphasize that knowledge grows when shared. Supported by ILRI and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, they have hosted farmer training sessions, exchange visits, and field days. At these gatherings, they demonstrate innovations such as silage-making, fodder diversification, composting, vegetable farming, and biogas.

In 2024, the Koskes hosted a farmer field day that drew neighbors from across their location of Tarakwa. Richard, armed with a dairy training manual co-developed with ILRI, explained improved cattle breeds, feed preservation, and herd health.
“I have become like a teacher to others,” Richard says. “My neighbors come to learn how to grow sweet potato vines or make hay.”
For Emily, training women has been especially fulfilling: “The women are eager to learn about biogas and get it in their homes to reduce their reliance on firewood.”

Resilient households, inspired communities
The impact of these practices extends far beyond milk and profit. Both families now enjoy greater food security, growing maize, beans, pumpkins, avocados, bananas, and other crops that reduce their dependence on external markets. “I don’t buy fruits and vegetables. Our farm may not be big, but it provides our necessities,” Nancy says proudly.

Their success has also shifted mindsets in their communities. Thomas encourages men to actively engage their wives in farming and income allocation. Meanwhile, Richard highlights the value of efficiency over expansion, showing that smaller, well-managed herds can be more profitable than larger ones.

Farming for the future
With climate change posing increasing threats to smallholder farmers, the journeys of the Yebeis and the Koskes offer lessons in resilience, adaptation, and community spirit.
Their field days, and open-farm sessions are building networks of knowledge that spread far beyond their villages. The couple also learn from others and stay connected with other farmers and veterinarians through a WhatsApp group.
As Emily puts it: “Our mission is to help others, especially women, so that they can be self-reliant through the sale of their farm produce. We are proof that farming, if done right, can change lives.”

Acknowledgements
This activity was implemented through the CGIAR Livestock, Climate and Environment, under the Climate Action Science program, which is funded through the CGIAR Trust Fund. Part of this work was financed by the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC), an Official Development Assistance (ODA) program.

More information
· Transformation from the ground: Adaptation pioneers as agents of change through climate-resilient agriculture
· Producer-led scaling from the farm with adaptation pioneers 

Written By: Polycarp Otieno Onyango.  Contributors Emmaculate Kiptoo and Nathan Maiyo
This article was first published on the ILRI website