Homa Bay County government has disbursed grants to 15 agricultural-based saccos as part of an inclusion grant program designed to reinforce their operational capacities and enable them to mobilize membership, shares and savings more effectively.
The sh. 12, 750 million will boost the lending capacity of these saccos to farmers and serve as channels for sustainable agricultural financing.
Governor Gladys Wanga said the grant was a part of a broader initiative to distribute sh. 37 million inclusion grants and that her government plans to issue financial matching grants amounting to sh. 40 million by 2027 to help farmers with financial constraints through the saccos.
“Agricultural production requires significant financial investment and limited access to resources often hampers farmers’ progress, and this is the reason why the government is supporting these agricultural-based saccos,” she said.
The governor who was speaking on Wednesday during the launch of the inclusion grants for ward-based agricultural saccos said the launch marked a significant milestone in their collective efforts to transform agriculture into a vibrant and sustainable sector that improves livelihoods and drives economic growth.
Wanga noted that the government is actively investing in the capacity building of the community driven committees, sustainable land management committees and saccos to enhance their effectiveness in fulfilling their respective roles.
“The key aspect of the capacity building effort is the formal organization of farmers into cohesive groups,” she stated.
This initiative aims at empowering farmers to leverage collective resources, exchange knowledge and access support more efficiently, added the governor.
Wanga informed that the county will establish four demonstration sites in every ward to promote learning on modern agricultural technologies, innovations and best-practices.
Homa Bay had embarked on a comprehensive farmers registration campaign sometime back where over 245,000 farmers were registered.
She noted that these farmers will be strategically grouped into 8000 common interest groups, and vulnerable and marginalized groups which will be connected to 40 agricultural-based saccos.
“This structured approach will enable the streamlining of agricultural investment and ensure equitable participation,” Wanga said.
By Sitna Omar
