Migori Governor Ochilo Ayacko has encouraged farmers in the county to embrace climate-smart agriculture to make the country food secure.
Ochilo who spoke during the second day of the South West Kenya Branch- Migori Agricultural Show located at Lichota Grounds said that it’s through climate-smart agriculture that farmers especially the small-scale entrepreneurs can maximise their outputs and profits.
Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) (or climate resilient agriculture) is a set of farming methods that has three main objectives of; using adaptation methods to respond to the effects of climate change on agriculture, increasing agricultural productivity and ensuring food security for a growing world population and trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture as much as possible.
As the world continues to experience the effects of climate change, Ochilo said that his administration has been assisting the county farmers with improved, drought resistance, high yields and early maturing seeds; including maize, beans, sorghum and rice seeds and fingerlings to ensure continuous food supply in the county.
Migori is one of the top eight counties in the nation that produces maize and according to Ochilo smart climate agriculture will further boost the maize production in the country and help to reduce the importation of the same that continues to affect prices and farmer’s profits and capitals.
Ochilo also said that the county in partnership with various development partners has continuously empowered small-scale farmers through the introduction of micro-irrigation systems and pan-water harvesting technologies to ensure that food production is sustained.
He said that the establishment of smart kiosks in marketplaces will reduce the fish post-harvest losses and enhance fish farmers supply and profits.
To ensure that climate smart agriculture is sustained in the county, Ochilo stressed that his administration has employed more than 280 agri-entrepreneurs serving as extension service officers with the aim of training, assisting and employing their entrepreneurial skills to assist farmers across the county.
He, however, called upon the national government to continue pushing the East Africa Regional Integration to improve border businesses along Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to boost the social-economic benefits of the Lake Region Economic Block (LREB).
Kisii Governor Simba Arati who was the guest of honour at the show stated that climate-smart agriculture was a very important aspect in making the South Nyanza a food security zone.
Arati disclosed that climate-smart agriculture will increase the social economy income of the South Nyanza dwellers which will enable them to live a decent lifestyle.
“We have started to operationalise banana and avocado production in Kisii that will enable us to supply our produce across the Nyanza region and beyond; to increase and contribute to food security within the country”, disclosed Arati.
The South West Kenya Branch- Migori Agricultural Show which started on October 3 will come to an end on Saturday, October 5.
By Geoffrey Makokha
