Kitui County has received 80, 000 fingerlings to boost fish farming and improve nutrition in the region.
The introduction of fingerlings into the recently rehabilitated earth dams in Kitui offers a paradigm shift on farming activities occasioned by climate change.
Speaking in Kitui Town on Tuesday, Deputy Governor Dr Wathe Nzau said shifting into fish farming offers farmers an opportunity to build resilience and provide food for their households all year round.
“We have been experiencing erratic rainfall incapable of supporting crops even during the perceived long rain season. This new venture will help kick out reliance on food aid,” said Dr Wathe.
The Deputy Governor also challenged farmers in fish farming adding that the government will support the project. “Our Fisheries Extension Officers will continue to offer their expertise to farmers on modern fish farming practices that meet international standards,” disclosed Dr Wathe.
A long-term analysis of Kenya’s climate trends, published by the US government in 2010, showed that rainfall had declined in central food-producing areas since1960s.
And it predicted that large parts of the country would experience a drop of more than 100mm in long-season rainfall by 2025, along with a temperature rise of around 1 degree Celsius from 1975. That underlines the importance of efforts to help farmers adapt to shifts in the climate.
Wathe further underscored the government’s resolve to support dry land fish farming saying that the State Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture and the Blue Economy in partnership with Kitui County Government will stock 20 selected dams in the County with 5,000 fingerlings per dam.
“We have stocked Ngaa Dam and Kyamwangei Dam in Kitui Central Sub-County. Each dam has received a stock of 5,000 fingerlings,” said Dr Wathe.
By Yobesh Onwong’a
