National Government’s food security agenda success hinged on farmers’ records’ digitization

Aug 11, 2023 - 05:40

Harsama Kello, Principal Secretary in the State Department for Crop Development, speaking during the Agricultural Value Chain Actors forum to curtain raise for the launch of the five-year National Value Chain Development Project. One attachment •

Wundanyi

Thursday August 10, 2023

KNA by Arnold Linga Masila

The national government has made a clarion call to farmers countrywide to register and reap benefits from the centralized Kenya Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (KIAMIS).

The call was made by Principal Secretary (PS) in the State Department for Crop Development Harsama Kello during a meeting in Nairobi that brought together Agricultural Value Chain Actors under the umbrella of National Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP).

The PS said that having all the farmers on a centralized platform would make it possible to effectively distribute agricultural subsidies while at the same time identifying each county’s potential and pumping resources into viable projects.

“Having all farmers’ data in one place will make it easy to plan for food production in the country. It will be easy to identify each region’s potential and put resources into productive projects,” said Kello.

He further said that the centralised system would also ensure support in a range of other areas that reinforce a seamless agricultural production landscape, including, extension services, cooperatives planning, marketing, investors’ collaboration, among others.

The national government has been firm on ensuring food security, focusing on four major value chains, namely, staple foods, livestock, dairy, and horticulture.

According to Kello, the country aims to bring 200,000 acres under sunflower farming and the plans to procure seeds are already underway.

In yet another move to make good of its food security agenda, the national government through the Ministry of Agriculture has embarked on an ambitious plan to turn 500,000 of idle public land into food production zones.

This move, according to Kello, will go a long way to curb the perennial shortage of maize, the number one staple food for Kenyans, and avoid the importation bottlenecks that rule the global maize market.

In Taita Taveta County, the food security bug has stung the administration and multiple plans are currently in motion to revamp food production and value addition chains.

The key sub-sectors leading the new realization are dairy, rice, banana, livestock, and poultry production; which have seen increased resource allocation from the devolved unit’s budget and support from the national government and non-governmental organizations.

Speaking at the event held in Nairobi, Taita Taveta County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation, Erickson Kyongo said the current administration has already made bold steps in supporting food production, value addition, and market chains.

Part of the county’s ambitious plan is to see milk production rise from the current 20 million litres to 30 million litres per year, boost rice production from 4644 tonnes to 12,000 tonnes annually, and the completion of the banana factory at Taveta.

“We’ve a clear roadmap of what we need to do as part of food security agenda and we count on the support of the national government, NGOs, and private players to achieve these ambitious goals,” said Kyongo about the county’s preparedness for the five-year NAVCDP life cycle.

Courtesy ; K. N. A