The government has began integrating 4K Clubs in schools to promote the realization of development , Agriculture Chief Administrative Secretary Annie Nyaga has said.
Nyaga said coordinating committees have been established in the 47 counties to spearhead the programme implementation.
Already plans have commenced to set up centres of excellence across the country to support sustainable implementation.
The 4K Clubs initiative was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta last year.
The CAS said the centres of excellence will be used to encourage youths to take part in activities in the 4K clubs programme, which form part of the government's development plan under the Big 4 agenda.
"We have also trained 48 trainers of trainers to ensure the youths taking part in this programme are equipped with relevant technological skills and knowledge," Nyaga said.
She was speaking during the tree planting ceremony supported by Food and Agriculture Organisation in Kisumu town under the Green Cities Initiative.
The CAS noted that the initiative which is a collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture, county governments and other development partners, focuses on value chains in the agricultural activities and other thematic areas such as environmental conservation, healthy living and nutrition, civic engagement, science and technology.
The tree planting exercise supported by FAO aims at raising awareness on the importance of sustainable development in environmental conservation with the goal of sustainable food systems.
The program envisions improved environmental conservation and enhanced knowledge on the importance of environmental conservation in schools and public places.
FAO country representative Carla Mucavi noted that their was need for enhanced stakeholder partnerships and collaboration to find solutions to transform the national food system.
Mucavi called for concerted efforts and establishment of supportive policies to tackle the numerous challenges facing agro-food systems such as rapid urbanization, population growth, climate change and environmental degradation.
“Our food system is facing numerous challenges key among them rapid urbanization, population growth, climate change, environmental degradation among others,” she said.
“ The growing urban population is becoming more vulnerable to food and nutrition insecurity. Urban populations and local governments are also affected by rising food safety concerns, challenges in managing food waste and environmental degradation in cities.”
Mucavi noted that this calls for concerted efforts to tackle these challenges through inclusive engagement of all food system actors for efficient and sustainable actions, policies and strategies.
She at the same time noted that 4K Clubs provide an opportunity to change mindsets and perceptions about agriculture, promote the adoption of agricultural technologies and approaches that can contribute to increased productivity, employment creation and income generation and enhance environmental conservation.
In December 2021, she noted that FAO in partnership with the department of Agriculture and Environment conducted a series of trainings for the youth and 193 4K club members to equip and empower them with skills for tree planting and management.
“ A total of 1,500 trees have been planted in the four pilot schools namely Usoma, Rabour, Tido, Union and two streets in Kisumu city in the past week.”she said.
(Edited by Francis Wadegu)
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