The Nakuru County government today received laptops from Kenya Cereal Enhancement Program- Climate Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods (KCEP-CRAL), an International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded project for use by extension officers to enable them to provide extension services to farmers.
While receiving the equipment at the Agricultural Training Center, Chief Officer in charge of Livestock and Fisheries Dr. Michael Cheruiyot said the equipment would go a long way in improving extension services as part of Governor Susan Kihika’s agenda on the enhancement of agriculture.
Dr. Cheruiyot said the laptops will assist the extension officer in ensuring more smallholder farmers in the sub-counties benefit from climate-resilient agricultural practices and reduce the negative impacts of drought and pest controls.
He added that the project is currently being implemented in Njoro and Molo sub-counties and has seen agricultural officers receive motorbikes for easier and faster movement across the farms. However, he regretted that the much helpful program was set to end in 2024.
KCEP-CRAL Project Coordinator, Maryanne Njogu appreciated the county’s role and support in the achievement of the set targets in the implementation of program activities and promised to keep on supporting local farmers.
Njogu said over 3,000 smallholder farmers in the sub-counties have been empowered to practice commercially oriented, climate-resilient agricultural practices through improvements in production, post-production management practices, and market linkages for maize, beans, and potatoes value chains.
The county which is one of the food baskets of the country currently faces challenges such as prolonged droughts that have led to higher prices of food and farm inputs, division of land to smaller sizes, and the ever-decreasing number of extension officers.
By Veronica Bosibori
