The Kakamega county administration has identifed a number of interventions to end poverty among farmers currently dependent on sugarcane cultivation.
They include one-cow initiative intended to upgrade dairy cattle, tea and milk processing and better methods of fisheries.
Governor Wycliffe Oparanya blamed poverty in the region on overdependence on sugarcane.
The county’s poverty index was 47.2 per cent, according to the 2009 census.
Oparanya, who was addressing this year’s Jamhuri Day celebrations at Bukhungu stadium on Wednesday, said his government was determined to cushion farmers from single-crop dependence
“Our farmers are vulnerable to changes in weather patterns, erratic pricing and international trade restrictions,” he said.
The one-cow initiative will be introduced in Shinyalu and Malava subcounties.
The sugar sector, which is the economic mainstay for western Kenya, has faced numerous challenges including huge debts and inadequate raw materials.
The sector’s collapse is certain and a major threat to the economy of the region.
The once premier miller, Mumias Sugar Company, is choking in debts running into billions of shillings despite the injection of billions of shillings by the national Treasury. It has remained shut since April this year.
The governor said that a sugar task force recently established by President Uhuru Kenyatta will help identify ways of reviving the sector. He co-chairs the team alongside Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri.
The poverty that is a result of sugarcane dependency has prompted several local leaders to call for cash crop diversfication.
He said that plans were underway to set up manufacturing plants to spur economic growth and provide employment.
Oparanya said that his government had rolled out programmes to ensure access to clean drinking water by all residents and electricity by 2021.
“We plan to develop a large-scale project to harness, treat and distribute water to all villages using innovations such as solar energy and water gravity flow,” he said.
The county, in collaboration with the Rural Electrification Authority (REA), has commissioned 180 transformers in the county.
This will ensure that there is adequate supply of power to all households in the county by the year 2022.
