Most farmers want to grow sorghum, but the prospect of dealing with birds discourages them. “Whenever I grow sorghum, I worry about the birds pecking at them until I have nothing to harvest. This has prevented me from planting sorghum for a long time,” says Phyllis Nduva, a farmer from Wote, Makueni County. She further explains how she has tried many approaches, such as mixing eggs with water and spraying on the soghurm, to keep birds away.“I wish there was a better way of dealing with the birds, as sorghum is a key ingredient for healthy meals for my family.”
To address this challenge, researchers at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) have developed a new set of climate-smart sorghum varieties that help farmers cope with both bird damage and unreliable rainfall. These varieties are already being grown by thousands of farmers who attest to their reliable attributes.
According to KALRO scientists, sorghum is most vulnerable to birds during the milk stage, when the grain is still soft and sweet. The new varieties are designed to protect themselves at exactly this point. Their panicles are compact with darker grains, that contain higher levels of tannins. This combination makes the crop unattractive to birds. Birds may peck at the grain, but they quickly lose interest and move on.
What makes this approach farmer-friendly is that the bitterness does not last. As the crop matures, tannin levels drop naturally, and by harvest time, the grain is suitable for both human food and animal feed.
The five climate-smart varieties released by KALRO include Jasiri, Smart Sorghum, and Ndume, which are white in colour; Pato1, a brown sorghum; and Hummer, which is red. Together, they give farmers more choice depending on their needs and local markets.
Beyond resisting birds, these varieties are built for tough conditions. They remain green, a trait that allows them to continue photosynthesis even when moisture is limited. Their shallow root systems help them make use of light rain, which is increasingly important as rainfall patterns become more unpredictable. As a result, farmers are seeing more stable yields even in dry seasons.
There are also nutritional benefits. The new varieties are rich in minerals such as calcium and iron, and they provide high levels of protein, making them valuable for household food security as well as commercial use.
So far, farmers in counties such as Kitui, Makueni, Machakos, Tharaka-Nithi, and Busia have adopted the new varieties. These varieties are especially well-suited to Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands, including parts of Eastern Kenya, the Coast, Western Kenya, and sections of the Rift Valley where drought and bird pressure are common.
Access to seeds has also been made easier. Farmers can purchase certified seeds from KALRO centres across the country, where small packets are sold at affordable prices, with a 2Kg packet going for around Ksh 400. In addition, KALRO works with extension officers, farmer groups, and seed companies to distribute trial packs and connect growers to reliable markets, including brewing and seed production.
Older sorghum varieties such as Serena and Seredo, which also contain tannins, remain in use in some areas and still offer partial protection against birds. However, newer climate-smart varieties combine bird resistance, drought tolerance, and improved yields in a more complete package.
