Background
KARI-Perkerra is one of KARI'S Research Centres situated about 100Km north of Nakuru town. The Centre is located in Marigat township, Baringo district, Rift Valley Province.  It lies at an altitude of 1067 m.a.s.l. It was started in 1952 by the then ministry of Agriculture and animal husbandry as a sub centre of Pyrethrum and Horticulture Research centre Molo. Complimenting Perkerra Irrigation scheme started at the same time, 80ha of land was set aside for research focusing on existing farming systems using the waters of river Perkerra which was diverted for irrigated Arid and Semi Arid Lands (ASAL) farming.
In 1989 the centre was made fully-fledged regional Research Centre under the new KARI. The centre's mandate is on adaptive research aimed at improving farming systems in Baringo, Koibatek, Keiyo, Marakwet, and Samburu districts. 80% of the mandate region is ASAL and therefore research mandate is focused on adaptive research through development of intervention strategies (technologies) in crop and livestock production to ensure food security, improve household income, alleviate rural poverty, and conserve the environment.

Geographical features
The centre is situated in agro ecological zone 5 (LM5) soils are volcanic fluvisols of sandy/silty clay loam texture, slightly acid to slightly alkaline, highly fertile with adequate, P,K,Ca, Mg but low N and C. Annual rainfall mean is 654mm and Et is 1360 mm. annual mean, Mean max, mean min,  and extreme max temperatures are: 24.6, 32.4, 16.8, and 37.7 deg C. respectively. Major land uses are, irrigated and dryland farming, pastoralism involving rearing of cattle, goats, sheep, and camels as well as beekeeping.

Our mandate: