Stakeholders in the agricultural sector on Saturday met to address the effects of floods and drought in Garissa County.
Agriculture and livestock CEC Mohamed Shale, who officially opened the one day workshop at a Garissa hotel, said floods and drought linked to climate change resulted in huge loss of livelihood sources.
Shale said there was an urgent need to plan ahead to reduce impact and losses among crop and lives farmers.
"Our farmers lost crops and farm inputs worth millions of shillings because we didn't anticipate floods the end of last year," Shale said.
The CEC added that loss of livestock had become a trend due to vicious cycle of drought or outbreak of diseases during the rainy season and, sometimes, cases of human deaths due to floods were also reported.
He said the multi-agency approach jointly organised by the county government, Mercy corps, ASDSP, USAID and the Meteorological Department on the participatory scenario planning was timely ahead of the expected March-May rainfall.
Shale expressed hopes that the planning workshop will yield reliable advisory measures that will strengthen drought and floods risk management.
The CEC urged irrigation farmers to ensure their farm equipment were moved to safer grounds during early warnings on impeding floods, while livestock farmers should familiarise themselves with weather patterns to avoid animals being marooned by floods.
Environment CEC Habon Aden Maalim appealed to the farmers to grow crops that could withstand harsh weather conditions.
Habon urged participants drawn from all the seven subcounties of Garissa, Fafi, Balambala, Lagdera, Dadaab, Hulugho and Ijara to share information acquired from the participatory planning workshop for the benefit of their local population.
The county director for meteorology Samuel Odhiambo said planning was essential to reduce loss of lives and property ahead of the enhanced rainfall along the catchment areas of the River Tana.
"We share weather patterns with relevant government institutions and other organisations to minimize on losses," Odhiambo said.
"We have been very consistent in our forecast and it has helped a lot in ensuring that families and irrigation farmers along river Tana move to safer grounds before flooding," he added.
