The National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project (NARIGP) in conjunction with Bungoma County Government has issued cheques worth Sh 51.5 million to support various micro-projects in 20 wards within the county.
The 20 benefiting wards are spread across the five Sub-counties of Bumula, Sirisia, Mt. Elgon, Webuye East and Kimilili.
Governor Wycliffe Wangamati, who distributed the cheques, said the aim is to strengthen the ability of community-based groups to improve their agricultural productivity, food security, nutrition status, and market linkages.
The funds will help address the main constraints facing agriculture by increasing agricultural production.
The County Executive Committee Member-In-Charge of Agriculture, Mathews Makanda, confirmed that 310 micro-project proposals had been approved and were benefitting from the funding.
The project targets to fund 600 micro-projects before the end of this year.
The NARIGP County Project Coordinator, Rebecca Lusweti said they focus on value addition, market resource, technology improvement, and innovation, something that Bungoma residents have never ventured into before.
NARIGP is a Sh.22.5 billion World Bank-funded initiative being rolled out in 21 selected counties aimed at improving livelihoods and reducing vulnerabilities of targeted rural communities.
The cheques were distributed as follows, Bumula-Sh.14 m to 76 groups, Sirisia-Sh.6.4m to 45 groups, Mt. Elgon-Sh.17.1m to 106 groups, Kimilili-Sh.10m to 60 groups, Webuye East-Sh. 4m to 23 groups.
The funding seeks to boost dairy production, local chicken as well as the production of bananas and beans.
The primary beneficiaries are rural smallholder farmers; vulnerable marginalized groups organized in common interest groups. The grants to the beneficiary groups range from between Sh.250, 000 to Sh.500, 000.
She said the criteria for the selection of the beneficiaries was pegged on the wards’ potential to develop and improve the production of at least one of the value chains in dairy production, banana production, indigenous poultry keeping and beans.
The project will support the community through four investment windows which, include sustainable land management and value chains, market oriented livelihood interventions, vulnerable marginalized groups and nutrition.
By Roseland Lumwamu
