The Kenya Coconut Development Authority has contracted farmers to grow coconut seedlings in a bid to improve production of the crop at the Coast.
Jaribuni Women group from Bodoi Mbiche village in Kilifi is benefiting from the project which has seen them get over 20,000 certified seeds.
Under the agri-business venture, the farmers have been selling the new variety seedlings to farmers at a subsidised cost.
Among the seedlings introduced is the African tall and dwarf varieties whose life span is 45 years, with production tripling compared to the traditional seedlings.
According to the group chairlady Rachel Kubo, the venture has improved the livelihoods of the group's 27 members.
"We share proceedings from the sale of the seedlings and we now have enough food on our table and our children are in school," she says.
She says that the new varieties are producing more, mature faster and are easy to maintain compared to the old varieties.
"We are now practising modern farming and apart from coconut seedlings, we have embarked on maize and dairy production," Kubo says.
William Mathiu, group co-ordinator, says they have made more than Sh600,000 from selling the new coconut seedlings.
"We are slowly shifting from the traditional coconut seedlings and we have seen our production and earnings rise," he says.
The county executive officer in charge of Agriculture in Kilifi, Bacha Nguma, says the county has more than 1,000 farmer field school groups.
He notes that under such groups, food and livestock production has risen while pest control has been addressed.
"The county is ready to embrace the farmer field school concept as it has helped address issues of modern farming and reproductive health," he says.
Edwin Adenya, a consultant with the Food and Agriculture Organization, says the coconut project has empowered peasant farmers and turned them to producers hence addressing the issue of food insecurity.
"The farmers field school is a versatile concept which is addressing issues of food production, poverty eradication and capacity building for peasant farmers. It as a win-win situation for both farmers and the government," Adenya says.
