Baringo has entered into a three-year partnership with Cooperative University of Kenya (CUK) in a bid to support smallholder farmers in the maize, Irish potatoes and dairy farming value chains.
Speaking to the press outside Baringo governor’s office in Kabarnet town, Cooperative University Vice Chancellor Prof. Kamau Ngamau said that the Kenya Rural Transformational Centres digital project (KRTCDP) funded by Africa Development Bank seeks to connect farmers with all actors along the agricultural sector value chains through their mobile phones.
“Farmers from Baringo will be able to make informed choices that are geared towards increasing their productivity and in turn fetch profits in their farms,” he said.
Prof. Ngamau who also stated that the pilot phase of the project is taking place in two other counties of Nakuru and Narok said they intend to breach the information access gap in this digital transformation era since they feel that farmers are the ones who have been left behind compared to other sectors of the economy.
The CUK vice chancellor who led a delegation in paying a courtesy call on Governor Benjamin Cheboi noted that middle men have been benefiting from the sweat of farmers and it was high time they were totally removed out of the equation since producers can directly link with experts in the field who will provide them with verifiable information.
He added that the project which he said falls within the government’s bottom up economic transformation agenda will be rolled out to other counties in future so that farmers can be equipped and be able to earn more hence boosting the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Governor Benjamin Cheboi welcomed the partnership which he said will be extended to other areas like training and capacity building of 186 cooperative societies in the county promising that his administration will see to it that it is implemented fully in the region.
Mr Cheboi stated the county especially within the Tugen hills belt and Koibatek region enjoys its fair share of success in the three value chains, thus they want farmers to be supported through market linkages and information sharing on farm inputs like the right quality of pesticides, fertilisers and acaricides that are critical and fundamental for production.
By Benson Kelio and Joshua Kibet
