The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has donated nutritional feed supplements for animals in Isiolo County to help the farmers to cope with the prevailing drought in the area.
Officials from FAO led by the Country’s Deputy Director Beth Bechdor flagged off distribution of a consignment of 4200 bags of the livestock feeds to six wards where the animals are affected by the harsh drought in the County.
Bechdor said that working together with the government and different partners will help the pastoralists to face the drought challenges.
“We understand the drought’s impact but the best approach we should take to cushion the population from the effects should include the cash transfers programmes, technical training and the food supplements,” she said.
She thanked the government for the quick intervention and bringing on board the experienced partners who are already on the ground and understand the residents’ plight.
A farmer Mr. Hussein Abdi said the food aid was timely because he had lost many animals to the drought.
He added that the livestock farmers will save their animals by feeding the supplements to camels, goats, and cattle.
The CAS for devolution Mr. Abdul Bahari emphasized the need for coordination of both the national and local county governments in coming up with strategies to cope with the emerging disasters and improving on resilience.
Mr. Bahari urged counties in Northern Kenya to embark on producing animal feeds locally and sell them to farmers at reasonable prices in times of drought.
By David Nduro
