The Cereal Growers Association (CGA), in collaboration with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), has embarked on a project aimed at empowering 125,000 smallholder farmers across five counties in Kenya.
The initiative, titled Promoting Sustainable Farming Practices and Inclusive Markets and Trade for Smallholder Farmers in Kenya, seeks to improve food and nutrition security in Kisumu, Vihiga, Nandi, Machakos, and Kakamega counties over the next three years.
Farmers will be trained on critical areas such as soil fertility management, post-harvest handling, the use of digital tools, business coaching, and enterprise development to help them transition from subsistence to commercial farming.
Dr. Abed Kiwia, a Program Officer at AGRA, while speaking at the project’s launch in Kisumu County, emphasized the importance of sustainable food systems for ensuring long-term access to nutritious, safe, and culturally appropriate food.
“This programme supports farmers in adopting climate-smart agricultural practices such as crop-livestock integration, water conservation, and organic farming. These practices are key to ensuring the sustainability of agricultural production in the face of climate change,” Dr. Kiwia said.
He added that the initiative will promote diversity by focusing on value chains that align with the crops best suited to each region, which enhances the farmers’ resilience to climate shocks like droughts and floods.
Dr. Moses Mwanje from CGA noted that the rollout will benefit about 25,000 farmers in each of the selected counties by exposing them to climate-resilient farming techniques and mechanised equipment to bolster the adoption of sustainable practices.
He also emphasized that the farmers will be connected to ready markets where they can sell their produce at fair prices, thereby, mitigating post-harvest losses.
The initiative brings together key players across the agricultural value chain, from production to marketing. Farmers will benefit from easier access to essential farm inputs such as fertilisers, improved seeds, and pesticides.
In addition, financial institutions will be engaged to provide credit solutions, while the University of Eldoret will oversee knowledge management and monitor the project’s impact.
“We have incorporated off-takers, aggregators, input providers, agro-dealers, as well as the national and County governments. Farmers are assured to obtain farm inputs like fertiliser, improved seed, and pesticides from input suppliers, and they will be able to access money from the financing institutions to boost their farms,” he said.
Dr. Mwanje further highlighted that CGA is implementing the project in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and the selected county governments, which have already identified sustainable agriculture as a priority for intervention.
By Robert Ojwang’
