130 tons of assorted certified seeds have been distributed to farmers in Machakos County.
Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti said said around 144,000 farmers benefited from the seeds distributed by her administration on Monday.
Ndeti flagged off trucks that ferried the seeds from her White House office to 86 drop-off points for collection by the beneficiaries in 40 wards.
"Farmers are the solution to hunger and food insecurity in the country," Ndeti said.
She said as a mother and Machakos County CEO, it pains her to see Kenyans struggle to put food on the table, yet there is a productive agricultural land and a healthy population that can tap into the wealth hidden in our soil.
“Our farmers, you are the solution. You are the only people who have the ability and capacity to stop this unsustainable culture that has led to the high cost of food in every corner of our country,” Ndeti said.
She spoke while presiding over a seed distribution exercise at her White House office compound in Machakos County on Monday.
Ndeti said 122 tons of assorted seeds had been distributed to the county residents so far.
“This investment by my government is aimed at igniting an agricultural revolution that will put an end to the perennial hunger cycles we have experienced over the years. In the recent past, the department has distributed 122 tons of assorted seeds,” Ndeti said.
Ndeti said it was unfortunate that the country has been in an endless cycle of importing food to feed its growing population, yet we say agriculture is the backbone of our economy.
“My Government will keep supporting you. That’s why through the Department of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperative Development, we have procured seeds which will reach the targeted farmers within the shortest time possible beginning today,” Ndeti said.
She commissioned enumerators in the ongoing farmer registration exercise which kicked off on September 25, 2023.
“So far, the enumerators have demonstrated resilience and unrelenting courage to deliver the desired data on our farmers across the county,” she noted.
Ndeti said the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project had opened temporal job opportunities for 569 Machakos youth and 65 supervisors.
She said the contracted enumerators were competitively selected, trained and dispatched to their respective enumeration areas across the 40 wards.
“If our farmers will adopt the appropriate crop management practices, this investment is likely to bring a return of close to one billion shillings in our local agricultural value chain,” Ndeti said.
Ndeti said their holistic approach to the ‘Chakula mezani, pesa mfukoni’ social economic transformation agenda had seen all their departments, stakeholders and partners join forces to accelerate the execution of one of the most innovative strategies to eradicate poverty in Machakos County.
She noted that the county’s water department was undertaking a massive exercise of desilting 75 earth dams in Machakos.
Ndeti said the move was aimed at boosting irrigation capacity alongside ensuring continuous food supply, especially during the off-rain season.
“We will also give avocado and mango seedlings to our farmers, 255 seedlings in every sub-location,” Ndeti said.
“The directorate of livestock has also procured 254 beehives and 6 honey processing machines which support farmer groups in bee-keeping value regions. They will be distributed to the identified beneficiaries today,” Ndeti said.
She said bees play an important role in the pollination process and turn lead to increased productivity.
“Although the weatherman now says we may not be having El Nino as earlier anticipated, we are cautious of the common migratory crop pests that may attack our crops. We will procure and distribute Agro chemicals for fall armyworms (FAWs) and African Army Worms. We are also distributing Personal Protective Equipment today,” Ndeti said.
“I am also dispatching a ten seater Toyota Land-cruiser courtesy of the Emergency Locust Response Program (ELRP), from our partnership project with the World Bank. This will greatly help our extension officers to offer timely intervention services whenever called upon.”
