Farmers in Nyandarua have been urged to form groups and cooperative societies to benefit from credit funding from the county and other partners.
Governor Francis Kimemia on Tuesday said groups and cooperatives will also enable farmers to market their produce by enjoying economies of scale and negotiating power.
Kimemia spoke at Wakirogo Stadium in Miharati town, Kipipiri where he presented a Sh60 million cheque to 72 farmers’ groups under the Kenya Climate-Smart Agriculture Project.
Thirty-seven of the groups are from Ndaragwa, 25 from Kipipiri and 10 from Kinangop. They got Sh31,863,348, Sh19,253,726 and Sh8,882,926 respectively.
They are part of 300 groups that presented successful proposals for funding in the target areas of dairy farming, commercial peas, Irish potatoes and indigenous chicken rearing under the World Bank-funded programme.
Nyandarua is one of the 24 counties jointly collaborating with the national government and the World Bank to implement the Kenya Climate-Smart Agriculture Project.
Kimemia said more farmers should form common interest groups to solicit for funding through the project.
“In particular, I am challenging the youth to take advantage of this chance for I am convinced it is only through the involvement of youth that we can leverage the future of agriculture in our county," Kimemia said.
He said the project will support production of drought-tolerant crops, forage production, storage and marketing, and small scale farmer-managed irrigation.
Other projects include desilting of dams, water-pans and waterways, building of reservoirs, installing boreholes, constructing and rehabilitating small farmer-managed irrigation schemes.
Umoja Mbuyu and Raichiri water pans, both in Leshau Pondo ward in Ndaragwa will be rehabilitated this year, Kimemia said.
“We also intend to carry out county-wide vaccination of livestock against foot and mouth and lumpy skin disease, and run around the clock surveillance," he said.
edited by peter obuya
