The government has started a project to boost food security in the country by issuing vegetable seeds and dryer kits to small scale farmers in the country.
Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives, Cabinet Secretary, Mr Peter Munya, said the initiative dubbed ‘Kitchen Garden Kits’ aims at boosting vegetable production within the rural and urban settlements.
“The kits that comprise of seeds, dryer and shade net will not only enable Kenyans in rural and urban settlements to produce vegetables within their homesteads, but also dry and store their surplus produce for difficult times,” said the CS.
Munya who was speaking while issuing the kitchen garden kits in Chuka/Igambang’ombe Constituency in Tharaka Nithi County, disclosed that 13,000 kits will be distributed among various groups and schools in the county.
“The kits will enable women to produce vegetables within their homesteads to supplement other food crops grown on a larger scale, for a higher nutritional value and ensure their families do not suffer from malnutrition diseases,” emphasised the CS.
He said the government is putting emphasis on climate smart agriculture to make maximum utilisation of available water resources, including recycling of domestic water for small scale irrigation through the use of kitchen garden kits.
Munya further disclosed that the government will further boost the market for perishable agriculture produce by constructing modern markets at Rubate and Makanyanga areas that have already been supplied with irrigation water by the National Government.
Rubate irrigation project comprises of 500 beneficiaries while the Makanyanga irrigation project has enabled the irrigation of 526 hectares of land at a cost of Sh200 million from the African Development Bank. They are both within Chuka/Igambang’ombe Constituency.
By David Mutwiri
