Homa Bay Deputy Governor Hamilton Orata at a Homa Bay hotel during the launch of the cassava clinic. A Non Governmental organization called Self Help Africa has started a project for offering free field extension services to 3,000 cassava farmers. [James Omoro]
An NGO has started a project for offering free field extension services to 3,000 cassava farmers in Homa Bay county.
Self Help Africa has started the project to empower the farmers with knowledge on how to grow the crop.
Through a programme christened Cassava Value Chain, the organisation funded by the European Union has trained 15 extension officers referred to as plant doctors.
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It has opened plant clinics where farmers can go to seek advice and extension services from the ="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/farmkenya/article/2001372694/farmers-eager-for-disease-resistant-and-high-yielding-cassava">plant The role of the plant doctors is to assess ="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/farmkenya/article/2001307104/my-goal-is-to-create-markets-for-cassava">cassava
Homa Bay Deputy Governor Hamilton Orata and Self Help Africa Head of Programmes Clarice Kionge said the programme will improve the production of cassava which is susceptible to plant diseases.
Orata said the programme will revive the production of cassava which faces extinction in Homa Bay county. He urged the farmers to venture into ="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/farmkenya/article/2001295713/how-this-youth-group-is-minting-money-from-cassava">cassava
“Farmers should not be worried about cassava production because we now have plant doctors who will deal with the crop diseases,” said Orata.
He said ="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/farmkenya/article/2001293276/you-can-weave-cash-from-cassava-bags">cassava
He urged the organisation to increase the number of farmers from 3,000 to 8,000.
Kionge said the programme also focuses on access to the cassava market.
She said they had set up three aggregation centres where cassava value is done. The centres will process dry cassava chips which will be sold to flour processors in Nairobi. “After the value addition, we link farmers to companies that can buy their products,” Kionge said.
The leaders spoke during the launch of the ="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/farmkenya/article/2001302975/new-cassava-variety-that-promises-higher-yields">cassava
