The absence of agricultural extension officers to guide farmers have been cited as one of the major reasons for poor food production.
Nominated Senator Ms. Veronica Maina has observed that farmers, in most cases, have been working without the professional guidance needed to ensure increased food production on their farms.
Ms. Maina said that for many years, the majority of counties have been operating without agricultural extension officers, leaving farmers without experts to guide them in farming activities.
Speaking in the Mugumoini area of Kigumo Sub County on Tuesday, Ms. Maina revealed that the Senate would formulate policies aimed at increasing food production by pushing county governments to employ and deploy enough agricultural extension officers to assist farmers.
“It’s unfortunate there are no extension officers on the ground to assist farmers. This is an impediment affecting food production on our farms. Agriculture is the main economic activity in many counties, but unfortunately productivity has been minimal,” said the Senator when she presided over an event to distribute relief food to less fortunate families.
“By putting in place the required laws, counties will be required to allocate more resources and bring in professionals in the agriculture sector so as to support increased food production,” she said.
Ms. Maina said that with the presence of extension officers, farmers will get advice on types of crops to grow and the right chemicals to use, adding that soil testing is also needed so as to guide the type of fertiliser to be used.
“The extension officers will also help farmers when it comes to issues of water harvesting, like the construction of water pans on their farms,” she added.
The Senator further called upon the county government to provide water for irrigation, saying some areas have rich agricultural land but lack water for irrigation.
“Drilling of boreholes, construction of water pans, and tapping and distributing water from rivers can greatly boost irrigation farming. Like Murang’a County, some areas just need water to help farmers grow crops throughout the year. I appeal to the county government, in collaboration with the Ministry of Water, to explore ways of providing water to support irrigation farming. The provision of relief food is just a short-term intervention, and there is a need to come up with strategies to attain food security,” explained Ms. Maina.
A local resident, Mercy Wangare, observed that poor food production in their area is occasioned by a lack of water for irrigation.
“Our land is fertile, and we rely on rain-fed farming, which sometimes fails us. If we can access water for irrigation, this area will be food secure,” added Wangare.
Her sentiments were echoed by James Ndirangu, who said there is a permanent river nearby and they needed water pipes to tap and distribute water to their farms.
“Some years back, we had a water project which stalled. We appeal to the county government to revive the Mathara-ini water project so that we can access water for domestic use and for irrigation purposes,” added Ndirangu.
By Bernard Munyao
