- Embu Meteorological officer Joseph Mutisya said the rains will end in mid or late December.
- He says the period is a short time for most plants to reach maturity and thus advised farmers to consider this when choosing their crops.
Farmers in Embu have been urged to plant drought-tolerant and early maturing plants during the anticipated October-December short rains.
The Kenya Meteorological Department has advised of reduced rainfall that will accelerate the ongoing drought in some parts of the country.
It says the October to December short rains will be unevenly distributed.
Embu meteorological officer Joseph Mutisya said the rains will end in mid or late December.
He says the period is a short time for most plants to reach maturity and thus advised farmers to consider this when choosing their crops.
Mutisya urged farmers to liaise with the agricultural officers to get the best advise on the crop of choice depending on the ecological zones.
Embu Crops officer Patrick Njeru asked farmers to prepare before onset with minimum tillage, to preserve moisture and choose the right and certified seeds.
He advised farmers from lower parts of Embu, which experience lower rainfall to plant drought-tolerant crops varieties of maize, as well as stress-tolerant crops of sorghum, cowpeas and millet.
Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organisation researcher Murimi Kagete urged residents to plant certified seeds to ensure maximum yields.
Murimi further cautioned farmers against recycling seeds as this will limit the productivity potential.
Livestock officer John Wanjie also asked farmers to prevent losses through destocking, if the drought continues to rise.
"It is prudent for farmers to offload their stock before the animals get so much affected by drought and end up losing value in the market or dying," he said.
Several professionals, however, challenged the Embu government to come up with mitigation measures through initiating irrigation supportive projects of dam construction and water pans.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)