The coastal county of Kwale has commenced the distribution of 45 tons of assorted seeds to small scale farmers across the 20 administrative wards as the long rains set in.
Area Governor Fatuma Achani says the move to distribute the free certified seeds seeks to improve agricultural productivity, ensure food sufficiency and food and nutrition security.
Governor Achani, who flagged off the distribution exercise at the County headquarters in Kwale town, says the certified seeds include maize, rice, beans, green grams, and cowpeas.
Achani instructed all ward administrators to ensure that the quality seeds are equitably distributed to farmers at the grassroots level, fostering fair and efficient access across the county.
The Governor said seed distribution is a collaborative effort between the Department of Agriculture and Department of Lands, Environment and Natural resources under the Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) program to support farmers by providing seeds as part of efforts to enhance climate resilience.
She said the initiative will help local farmers adopt drought-resistant crops, improve food security, and strengthen adaptation to climate change.
“I urge the beneficiary farmers to utilize these seeds responsibly, with the goal of maximizing agricultural productivity and ensuring food security,” she said.
She further said, ‘this initiative is a vital part of our ongoing efforts to support local agriculture and empower farmers with the resources they need for a successful planting season’.
The coastal county boss, who was accompanied by the County Agriculture Executive Committee Member Roman Shera and Chief Officer for Agriculture Joseph Jabu, emphasized that agriculture remains a key priority of her administration for food security and economic growth.
Achani urged residents to practice agribusiness to sustain their needs as well as raise their standard of living.
She noted that there is a need for farmers to abandon obsolete farming methods and adopt modern agricultural practices to boost food production and eradicate poverty and hunger in the region.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mercy Chalika, a local farmer expressed gratitude to the government for the initiative, stating that the seeds will greatly benefit the community.
Chalika applauded the county initiative and urged other beneficiaries to use the resources appropriately.
Meanwhile, Achani says the county has been promoting dairy farming through the distribution of heifers to selected livestock keepers across the County.
Achani says the county’s dairy project aims at raising milk productivity from 2 litres per cow to at least 12 litres per cow in a day thus improving household income, availability of food and nutrition security.
She says normally the primary beneficiary is required to hand over the first heifer to a secondary beneficiary from within the electoral ward as a way to spread these benefits to more beneficiaries.
“All these agricultural and livestock initiatives seek to cushion the effects of economic hardship on our people,” she said.
Achani urged the beneficiaries to complement the efforts of the devolved government by making good use of the interventions.
County Agriculture Executive Committee member (CECM), Roman Shera appealed to all the beneficiaries to make judicious use of these interventions to enhance food production in the county.
Shera says the department of Agriculture aims to enhance Kwale’s agricultural performance through production support, technical assistance, easy access to inputs and agricultural information.
By Hussein Abdullahi
