County government should turn Nyandarua into Kenya's food basket

Potato harvesting and packaging in Kinangop, Nyandarua County. [File, Standard]

"Cash crop ya Nyandarua ni mawaru" is a Gengetone song that was trending recently. Part of the song is loosely translated to mean that Nyandarua County produces a bountiful harvest of potatoes (waru). Indeed, the county accounts for an estimated 33 per cent of Kenya's potato production.

The county borders the Aberdare Ranges, hence the cold chilly weather. At the same time, it has fertile soil that produces garden peas, beans, carrots, cabbages, maize, strawberries and dairy farming, not forgetting the symbolic waru, among others. The surplus has not only been for subsistence use, but also for sale as most farmers rely on the crops for survival. They invest a lot of money in commercial animal feeds, fertiliser, labour and transportation of goods to the markets, which in most instances, does not yield the desired profits.