The government is now focusing on developing kitchen gardens in 24 million villages to increase food production, Agriculture PS Paul Rono has said.
He said the gardens will be rolled out under the Mama Kitchen Garden project as part of smart farming.
“We will also target the youth to help them engage in this kind of smart farming either individually or through groups and by doing so we will be able to uplift the lives of people at the bottom level,” said Rono.
He said the government will enhance water availability and use of solar energy to advance the programme.
This will help communities learn and adopt knowledge linked to use of technology in agriculture.
“We will help the women groups access quality seeds and also educate them on modern farming methods for the entire programme to succeed and increase food production," Rono said.
He spoke at the University of Eldoret during a trade and agriculture exhibition.
Partners from the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and other institutions attended the exhibition.
Rono said the government will use the same method to teach farmers, especially in North Rift, to adopt other crops instead of relying on maize and wheat production.
The government has already distributed sunflower seedlings to more than 40 counties and will also distribute macadamia, avocados, coffee and pyrethrum seedlings.
The seedlings will leverage on technological innovations at the universities to help farmers adapt to climate change and also manage soil conservation.
Rono said the University of Eldoret plays a critical role in helping advance technology use in the agriculture sector.
President William Ruto’s bottom up economic policy is aimed at uplifting the livelihoods of Kenyans at the bottom of the pyramid.
“The ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development will partner with the universities, innovators and private sector through the chamber of commerce and industry to scale up technologies, and innovations to support our farmers in addressing climate change and enhance food production," the PS said.
