Location: The focus of the other site will be in Nyeri, Kirinyaga and Embu Counties (Figure 1). The counties lie on the southern slopes of Mt Kenya and extend from 0o 42’S to 1o38´S and 36o48´E and 37o72´E with altitudes ranging from 1,500 to 2,000 m asl.

Soil: Major soils are Humic Nitisols, Andosols and Phaeozems of volcanic origin, highly weathered, deep with moderate to high fertility.

Climate: The region has two distinct rainy seasons occurring between March to May and October to December with annual rainfall of 1200 – 1800 mm and mean temperatures of 12°C to 27°C.

Farming: Farming is intensive and is predominantly crop-livestock system on land ranging between 1.0 and 2.0 hectares per household. Coffee and tea are important cash crops with maize, vegetables that includes potatoes, cabbages, peas and carrots grown for both subsistence and for sale. The lower areas of the region produces over 80 percent of rice grown in Kenya.

Livestock: Dairy farming is the dominant enterprise in the livestock sub-sector with an average of 2.3 heads of improved breeds per household. Napier grass, Rhodes grass and fodder trees Leucaena and Calliandra are the main source of feeds in the region. Crop yields are low due to continuous cropping with insufficient nutrient replenishment, soil erosion and leaching.

Infrastructure: The region has moderately good services infrastructure that includes paved and all weather marram roads, water, electricity and mobile phone connectivity. Coffee, tea and milk is mostly marketed through cooperatives.