Kwale Governor, Fatuma Achani, has launched the distribution of subsidized agricultural assets and farm inputs to local farmers ahead of the expected long rainy season.
Governor Achani says efforts are in top gear, to distribute farming inputs to farmers in the 20 administrative wards across the coastal county, ahead of the March- April rains.
The County has distributed certified seeds and fertilizers, knapsacks, power sprayers, pipes, insecticides, fungicides, and spray agricultural adjuvants to local farmers.
Achani urged the farmers to take advantage of the coming long rains, to prepare for planting.
The coastal County Boss says the initiative was part of the devolved government’s plan to drive food security, by supporting agriculture and enabling local small-scale farmers to thrive.
She says the devolved unit is determined to revamp the agricultural sector by providing adequate support to local small-scale farmers.
“The programme is meant to assist local smallholder farmers in enhancing their productive capacity and reduce the high poverty levels in the rural areas,” she said.
Achani said the move to empower small-scale farmers with inputs would open up investment opportunities in the agricultural sector, create jobs, and facilitate increased production as well as food and nutritional security.
The Governor was speaking at the County Headquarters during the flagging-off of the agricultural inputs to local farmers, ahead of the anticipated long rains.
“The distribution of high-quality seeds, fertilizers, and other agricultural equipment to farmers, is meant to improve yields,” she said and warned farmers against selling the inputs provided.
Achani urged the beneficiaries to make the best use of the inputs received towards the overall development of agriculture in the County.
She, therefore, urged the farmers to ensure full utilization of the inputs in their various farms, in order to increase their farm output.
The Governor says that the agricultural sector would continue to be a priority for her Administration in a bid to stimulate local production of food aimed at achieving self-sufficiency, enhancing the livelihood of local farmers and the general livelihoods of the residents.
She commended the smallholder farmers who produce the bulk of food consumed at the local level, for their perseverance and commitment to agriculture, despite climate change disrupting food availability.
In the recent past, the County Government of Kwale has been distributing hundreds of tonnes of improved and certified seeds, fertilizers, bulls, dairy cattle and Galla goats to farmers to improve local stock.
Tractors have also been ploughing fields for free in a bid to improve the acreage under crops as well as agricultural education to farmers, to improve stock and crops.
At the same time, Governor Achani says that the devolved government is determined to establish irrigation schemes and revive stalled ones to boost agricultural productivity and enhance food security.
She says irrigated farming will ensure more food production and crop diversification and urged local communities to make lands available for agricultural purposes, in support of the irrigation projects.
Achani says the devolved unit’s ambitious rural irrigation schemes, seek to link villages through nearest possible sources of water.
“The small-scale irrigation schemes are designed as a ladder out of poverty, for the rural communities and smallholder farmers,” she said.
The Governor says in order to make agricultural production more sustainable in the region, the County Government is empowering farmers who venture into irrigated crop production.
By Hussein Abdullahi
