Prepare for October short rains - Weatherman urges Machakos farmers

Machakos County Director of Meteorological Services Dominic Kyalo has advised farmers to start preparing their farms in readiness for the October short rains.

Kyalo said the county will experience  35-45 days of rainfall whose intensity will vary from  150mm to 400m.

According to the director, Machakos will receive consistent rainfall from October 28 to November 8 with showers expected to start seceding from December 2nd  to 13th.

Kyalo said the county had started advising farmers on the appropriate crops to plant to ensure they maximise the October rains and avert the possibility of crop failure from lack of proper guidance.

"Together with other stakeholders, an advisory was given to farmers to prepare their seeds and farm activities depending on the amount of rainfall forecasted for October, November and December,” Kyalo said.

He said a majority of the farmers had been advised to plant Green grams which is a fast maturing crop.

Farmers in sub-counties are expected to receive rainfall of about 150 mm-250 mm.

They had been advised to plant resilient crops such as sorghum and chickpeas which tend to do well because of high water holding capacity.

Kyalo spoke during a three-day Participatory Scenario Planning (PSP), training which was organised in partnership with IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre(ICPAC).

The training brought together agriculture stakeholders from the County and National government such as crop and livestock experts, officers from the Fisheries, Water and Environmental Department and farmers from different sub-counties in Machakos.

The county Chief Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Catherine Mutanu, said they will work together with the ward Climate Change Committees to advise farmers on the importance of timely planting.

Mutanu who is also acting as the CECM for Water and Environment, said in the last two years, the county had constructed more than 80 dams and sunk multiple boreholes as a way of ensuring that farmers have access to water for irrigation.

Mutanu said the county doubled its efforts in ensuring food security by distributing seeds in preparation for the coming rain season.

“Let us be keen on what the meteorological department is saying for us to have a good harvest,"  Mutanu said.

Jeremiah Katulu, a farmer from Katangi in Yatta Subcounty, commended the stakeholders and experts for the training.

He specialises in dairy and crop farming and said the advisory will help him understand the right type of seeds based on the expected amount of rainfall.

"After this meeting, we will go back to our villages and advise other farmers on the weather forecast, they decide on the best seeds to use and how to prepare their farms and water storage facilities to store enough water for their cattle,” Katulu said.