The County government of Siaya has allocated sh.1 million to expand horticulture and fish farming from water pans in the area.
County CEC for Agriculture, Dr. Elizabeth Odhiambo, said the decision was made after the successful piloting of crops and fish farming over the last six months.
Five water pans, Sandhof, Nyalnawe, Koga, Uranga and Futro, were rehabilitated last year in semi-arid areas of the county, at a cost of Sh.100 million courtesy of funds from the World Bank.
The County government and other organizations, decided to start agricultural projects for local communities, using the waters from the pans. Interested community members were enlisted into either horticultural or fish farming groups, then funded for the programme.
“Some 17 enlisted fish farmers harvested a total of 487 kg to earn sh.190, 000, from the sale of surplus fish, after setting aside some for domestic consumption,” said the CEC, during a tour of some of the projects.
Futro community group that has ten members led in the sale of kales, earning sh.29, 000 in the last six months.
Donor funded, Agricultural Sector Development Support Program (ASDSP II) and Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP), were also involved in the projects, especially on capacity building and technical support.
“The overall objective of the projects is to boost food security and incomes for families who had been disadvantaged by scarcity of water,” said Dr. Odhiambo adding that 300 people who were enlisted in the pilot projects were now food secure.
By Paul Olale
