The national government has rolled out an empowerment programme in Trans-Nzoia County to cushion farmers from the effects of crop failure, amid calls for the timely supply of subsidised fertiliser to enable residents to plant short-term crops during the expected El Niño rains.
Government departments are working with residents by distributing chicks and fruit tree seedlings to help families diversify their sources of livelihood.
On Thursday, Deputy Director of Livestock Production Josephant Smollo distributed 4,000 day-old chicks to several groups at Mateket in Cherangany and Sirende in Kiminini Constituency.
Smollo, who was accompanied by Trans-Nzoia Woman Representative Lilian Siyoi, said the smart agriculture empowerment programme was key to addressing food insecurity among families.
“Many families have been hit by crop failure, and the government is supporting them to put food on the table,” said Smollo.
Siyoi urged residents to embrace diversification as a way of mitigating the effects of climate change.
She encouraged farmers to adopt smart agricultural practices and grow traditional crops to reduce the impact of erratic weather patterns.
“We need to shift to smart agriculture practices and also embrace traditional crops to overcome the challenge of food insecurity posed by drought,” said Siyoi.
She also called on the government to make subsidised fertiliser available to farmers who plan to plant short-term crops during the El Niño rains.
“The subsidised fertiliser should be made available to support farmers preparing to plant short-term crops during the El Niño rains,” she said.
Many farmers in the county are counting losses and are under pressure from commercial bank loans they took to finance their farming activities.
Most maize fields have recorded crop failure following prolonged drought, leaving hundreds of farmers frustrated.
