At least 14,470 farmers in Taita Taveta county have received support for enhanced resilience livelihoods to boost food production and fight hunger for sustainable livelihoods.
The Kenya Cereal Enhancement Programme- Climate Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods programme that targets farmers in the Asal county has also seen some 8,292 farmers access farm inputs through the e-voucher system since 2018.
The programme is a private public partnership financed by the European Union and the Kenyan government among other partners.
It focuses on growing sorghum, millet and green grams among other drought-tolerant crops that are able to withstand the effects of climate change.
The drought-tolerant crops account for at least 90 percent of the land under food crop production in the region.
According to the project county desk officer Stanley Kiaura, they are pushing for transformation of the agricultural systems through introduction of climate smart agriculture to make farmers more productive while building resilient to withstand the ravaging effects of climate change
“Farmers have been sensitised on best farming techniques for better livelihood and agribusiness opportunities,” Kiaura noted.
He said the programme further targets to reduce rural poverty and food insecurity of smallholder farmers in the county despite the fragile ecosystem.
So far, he said, over Sh40 million has already been issued to 8,753 farmers as compensation for crop failure for the season of October, November and December 2020.
“Insurance computation is underway for the season of October, November and December 2022,” Kiaura said during a meeting in Taveta on Tuesday.
The support, Kiaura said, is key for farmers who highly depend on rain-fed agriculture, which is vulnerable to climate change leading to low yields and losses.
Kiaura said farmers have also been trained on post-harvest management and use of tarpaulins and hermetic bags for reduced post-harvest losses.
“Use of certified technologies in collaboration with Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization has contributed to increase in numbers of farmers practicing good agriculture as a result of training they have received from the programme,” he added.
Taita Taveta county Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation CEC Erickson Kyongo reiterated the county government’s focus on green grams as part of the value chains to be implemented in the low lands.
Kyongo said the county now is keen to develop strategies for value addition which include putting up a green gram’s processing, polishing and packaging machine at Mwatate.
“We are looking forward to the next phase where farmers will receive climate smart agriculture implements and right promotion materials that will enable them to reap big.” Kyongo said.
The region is among counties earmarked for the new two-year extended KCEP-CRAL programme dubbed KCEP-CRAL Plus.
Source: The Star