Wajir county government yesterday began construction of water pans for residents to use in both crop and livestock cultivation.
The initiative supported by the World Food Programme will also include desilting and expansion of existing water pan and construction of farm ponds.
The programmes are aimed at improving the livelihoods of residents and will be complete by the end of the year.
Speaking at the launch of the programme, Governor Mohammed Abdi said his administration is committed to creating a favourable environment for the agriculture sector to realise its optimal potential.
Every ward in the county will get five farm ponds complete with linings, each with a capacity of 500 cubic metres and rehabilitation and equipping of one high yielding borehole for high-value crop production.
Governor Abdi said low-risk technical interventions will also be carried out including training and equipping beekeepers and training farmers and provide improved kienyeji cockerels to improve local poultry.
“We will support our farmers in accessing affordable farm inputs such as quality seeds and seedlings so that the objective of food security is realised through improved yields,” the governor said.
The governor promised support improvements in post-harvest handling of crops so as to minimise losses and ensure food is available all year round.
Abdi further said that livestock production will also be supported by enabling farmers get access to improved breeds that consume less feed but yield more milk.
“In this sector, my government will drive public-private partnership so that animal feeds can be manufactured locally thereby making it more affordable and available to farmers when needed,” he said.
He challenged the youth to actively take up fish farming as the enterprise guarantees good returns.
“The fisheries sub-sector is an area that has not been exploited in my county and can be a major poverty reduction strategy as well as significantly contributing to reducing malnutrition. The potential for the county to produce fish is very high and the demand is good,” he said.
The WFP Country Director Annalisa Conte said that her organisation will continue supporting county governments especially in the arid and semi-arid areas in the sectors of water and agriculture.
“I want to encourage youth and women to take advantage of the support being offered to them to engage in agricultural enterprises for food security and income generation,” she said.
