Farmers in the North Rift have been advised to adopt modern farming practices and learn business skills to improve yield and income.
Yara East Africa North Rift manager Abednego Sengwer said on Tuesday that if farmers adopted modern farming methods, they would contribute to food security.
“Whether one is a small-scale or large-scale farmer, the same knowledge of profit and loss needs to come into play when approaching farming as a business venture,” he said.
Sengwer spoke during an outreach session with farmers in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu county.
He said the use of farm inputs in the correct procedure and at the right time will help small-holders and large-scale farmers improve crop health in nutrient-deficient soils.
“We are using simple practical initiatives such as the use of demo farms to show our farmers the importance of applying modern farming technologies so as replenish the soils with the right nutrient regime needed for proper plant development and growth,” he said.
Yara East Africa has also encouraged farmers across the region to have their soils tested to establish if they are acidic. Testing helps farmers in choosing the right fertilisers.
"At Yara, we have calibrated our fertilisers to meet the desired needs on the ground. We have developed compound fertilisers such as YaraMila Power, YaraVera Amidas and Yara Crop Boost to provide the plants with the necessary nutrients at every stage of growth," Sengwer said.
Uasin Gishu Agriculture executive Samuel Yego urged farmers to diversify crops by increasing cultivation of coffee, avocados, macadamia and assorted vegetables to meet the growing demand in the local and international markets.
“We are encouraging our farmers to plant high-value crops using certified seeds and fertilisers that will enable them not only to produce quality yields for the local market but also for export," he said.
Yego said there was a need to equip farmers with knowledge that helps them practice climate-smart agriculture.
He praised public private partnerships in agriculture such as the one the region enjoys with Yara East Africa, saying it helps promote quality food production and reduce incidences of food insecurity during drought and famine.
