Baringo governor Benjamin Cheboi has challenged farmers in the county to adopt climate-smart practices in order to cushion themselves from the adverse effects of climate change.
Speaking when he presided over this year’s Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) Show in Kabarnet town, Governor Cheboi stated that farmers from the region have already started to feel the effects of the June, July, and August rains, which led to the destruction of agricultural land.
He noted that the phenomenon, which not only impacted negatively on food security but also the livelihoods of families across the county, has necessitated the use of innovative, responsive, and proactive agricultural approaches.
“Climate Smart Agriculture is no longer an option; it is a solution to secure food production in the case of climate variability while minimising our environmental conflicts,” Cheboi said.
The governor, who was accompanied by Baringo ASK Branch Chairman Isaac Chemng’orem, said his administration has taken drastic steps in addressing the global challenge, like encouraging agroforestry, promoting drought-resilient crops, and improving irrigation systems in the region, whose 90 per cent of the population depends on crop and livestock productivity.
He added that the county government, in collaboration with the national government, is implementing effective solutions such as nutrition value, mobile applications, sector-driven decision-making, enumeration, and crop filing by farmers to scale up farming across the 30 wards of the county.
“Recently, 148 staff were recruited and deployed at ward level to offer extension services to improve productivity, which has brought down the dependency from one officer to 1,800 farmers to currently one to 600, which is still below the international standards of staff of one to 400, but we intend to work towards that figure in the next three years,” the county boss said.
Chemng’orem, in his remarks, highlighted the great role the show plays in promoting excellence in agriculture and trade by providing a forum for the exchange of agribusiness information that is geared towards commercial agriculture and the growth of allied industries in the region.
He commended the over 40 exhibitors who displayed their wide range of technologies and information for farmers, students, and the general public, noting that such events enhance wealth creation and the well-being of the people.
The three-day annual event, attended by other local leaders including Baringo County Commissioner Stephen Kutwa and Deputy Governor Eng Felix Kimaiyo, rallied under the theme “Promoting Climate Smart Agriculture and Trade Initiatives for Sustainable Economic Growth,”
By Benson Kelio/Joshua Kibet
