Nyeri County is preparing to launch a Sh500 million agriculture value chain project aimed at increasing market participation and targeting at least 100,000 farmers
The National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project, funded by the World Bank, is set to be launched this month, with Nyeri County expected to contribute at least Sh20 million for its implementation.
Nyeri governor Mutahi Kahiga, announced the implementation of NAVCDP by the Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Aquaculture Development, covering five priority value chains: coffee, banana, avocado, Irish potato, and dairy farming.
The project will build on the success realized by the National Agriculture and Rural Inclusive Growth Project (NARIGP). The concluded Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP) which the governor noted helped transition small-scale farmers from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture. Already 134, 358 farmers who will benefit from the program have been identified.
The governor praised the improvements made by NARIGP and KCSAP, highlighting the positive impact on milk and general farmers in areas like Mukurwe-ini and Kieni, and the introduction of NAVCDP. Whereas the County plans to increase investments in food security interventions, focusing on enhancing food production and water management systems, while scaling up value addition and market linkages.
The Department of Agriculture, according to Kahiga, will focus on championing efficient water use by developing water-efficient irrigation systems and setting up water harvesting projects. They also intend to strengthen the county’s drought adaptation capacity and climate resilience through the provision of climate-resilient-certified seeds.
Lastly, he explained that the project aims to deepen investments in food production, community-led farmer extension, water management, value addition, market linkages, and credit access for participating farmers. Thus besides farmers, other value chain actors expected to benefit from the project include extension officers, aggregators, logistics support providers, and Small and Medium Enterprises operating within the value chains.
By Wangari Mwangi
