Grow and eat more traditional foods to fight hunger, farmers told

Kitui Deputy Governor Augustine Kanani has attributed the cyclical food insecurity in the county to residents shunning growing and consumption of traditional foods.

“Our mode agriculture should be able to feed our population. It is time to shift gears and go back to our roots. We have to go back to growing hardy, drought-resistant indigenous food crops to be food secure,” he said.

The deputy governor faulted farmers failure by local farmers to heed expert advice to grow tradition crops like cowpeas but instead grow  crops like maize that need a lot of water and often fail due vagaries of climate change.

"Let us go back to our traditional foods not only boost our health but make our bodies stronger. Indegenous foods are also immunity boosters and make us resistance to illness,” said Kanani.

He made the remarks on Thursday when he represented Governor Julius Malombe during the official opening of the USAID inaugural Kitui county Resilience Knowledge Fair at Ithookwe Showgrounds on the outskirts of Kitui town.

The event attended by USAID East Africa Resilience team leader Earnest Njoroge provided an opportunity for 40 development partners and independent exhibitors in Kitui to showcase their work, wares and products.

Kanani welcomed concerted efforts by USAID and partners in Kitui in helping to mitigate the negative impact of climate change among the populace. He regretted it had resulted in extreme cold weather and frequent crop failure.

He said the UN body and its partners in Kitui would continue to help the county educate residents on best ways to ward off the adverse impact of climate change.

“We expect USAID and development partners to give us backing by giving our people the information that is helpful. This is a day to learn that climate change is real and we have to be well prepared to tackle it,” he said.

The deputy governor said that it was time the residents of Kitui took up livestock rearing more seriously in the wake of climate change. He said they should use vast idle land in the peripheral areas of the county for livestock.

“In Kitui East, Kitui South and areas of Mwingi, outlandish pastoralists graze their livestock in our land as we watch passively without taking up the occupation,” Kanani said.

He said that it was time the people of Kitui ventured into serious livestock keeping as there was a ready market for quality goats, cattle and camels in Saudi Arabia.

“We should be exporting our goats to Arabia. We have the capacity to do that and our own Ministry of Agriculture has an initiative to support you to rear quality Gala goats that fetch good money,” Kanani said.

The deputy governor said the annual Kitui show and trade fair that has stalled, has been revived and will be held from July 27 to 29.

“When Governor Malombe failed to recapture the governorship in 2017 the annual Kitui show came to a grinding halt,” he said. Her added that upon Malombe’s re-election,  plans were mooted to revive the show.

 “The Kitui show is now back with a bang and it  will be an annual ritual. It offers an opportunity for various groups and organisations to showcase their expertise and new agricultural and livestock production technologies,” said the deputy governor.