By PSCU
NAIROBI: President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged farmers to embrace modern farming methods to increase production.
He particularly appealed to small land holders not to resist new farming ideas and technology that would maximize their land production capacity.
President Kenyatta made the remarks after he and Deputy President William Ruto toured AusQuest farm in Athi River, Machakos County.
The AusQuest farm applies a modern method of farming which uses black cotton soil with little water to grow 600 hectares of sorghum and 25 hectares of barley.
The President and his deputy were accompanied by Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Felix Kosgei and his Environment, Water and Natural Resources counterpart Prof Judi Wakhungu among others.
Mr Koskey said his ministry will promote the adoption of new farming method by creating awareness on its benefits to farmers, especially in the lower Eastern region which is largely covered by black cotton soil.
“It is a good thing that this technology has come to Kenya. It will turn around the entire lower Eastern into a major crop production area,” Mr Koskey said.
Prof Wakhungu said black cotton soil has the advantage of absorbing a lot of water and retaining it. She said adoption of the new farming method will make good use of the black cotton soil, which many people previous thought was useless.
