Sh600m European Union boost for farmers

The European Union (EU) has committed Sh600 million towards Kenya’s food security efforts.

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This is in addition to some Sh3 billion that the trade bloc had committed earlier, targeting the Kenya cereals enhancement programme.

The programme is a flagship scheme by the government to help smallholder farmers produce climate-resilient crops.

Speaking when he flagged off of 168 motorbikes to 13 counties to boost agricultural extension services in Nairobi, Agriculture Principal Secretary Hamadi Boga said the scheme would boost livelihoods for small-scale farmers.

“Our aim is to move our smallholder farmers from subsistence farming to commercial farming, thus securing their food and improve their livelihood, and these extension services will go along way in achieving that,” he said. EU Programme Officer Andrea Ferrero called for more support to county governments.  

“We know the pivotal role the county government plays in enhancement of agriculture in this country,” he said.

The latest development comes a month after the ministry introduced the e-voucher system to help farmers access government subsidies online as the country pushes to commercialise the agricultural sector.

Under the programme, enrolled farmers will benefit from the government incentive for three years before being introduced and handed over to other agricultural financial institutions like Commodities Fund and Agricultural Finance Corporation for financial support if necessary. 

About 85 per cent of Kenya’s farming population consists of smallholder farmers, making up about three million producers.                         

According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development, this shows their importance in the growth of the sector.

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