Nyeri County to register farmers Online

Nyeri

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

KNA, By Wangari Mwangi

The county government of Nyeri has launched the recruitment exercise of Agripreneurs to help the County’s Department of Agriculture profile farmers.

According to the Agriculture, Livestock and Aquaculture Development CEC, James Wachihi, the county is seeking to engage the services of 407 agripreneurs for the next month to help the department register farmers into the National Value Chain Support Project (NVSP).

The NVSP, an ICT-based E-voucher Input Management System is an initiative under the State Department for Crop Development that is accessible via web browsers and mobile applications. The purpose of the system, which has already been implemented in 25 counties, is to facilitate farmers with effective and efficient means of accessing farm inputs.

“In preparation for the commencement of activities under the World Bank-supported NVSP, we are conducting a total farmer profiling exercise,” said James Wachihi.

In an advertisement posted on the county website, candidates seeking to fill the positions must have a post-secondary qualification in the field of Agriculture Sciences, Agribusiness, Social Sciences or a course in Community development. They must also demonstrate some experience in agriculture or agribusiness and previous interactions with farmers.

Applicants who meet the criteria have until Friday this week to submit their application.

In its County Integrated Program 2023-2027, the county is set to spend Sh 9 billion to boost agriculture production and convert the county into a food basket.

Part of the money will go towards rolling out flagship agriculture projects and the promotion of climate-smart farming technologies to help the county accelerate food production for both local and external markets. There are also plans to commercialize the Value Chain Actors in dairy, poultry, and Irish potato sub-sectors.

As an additional incentive, the county also intends to de-risk the agriculture sector by providing an insurance scheme for crop and livestock farmers.

“My administration will also roll out programs to enhance agricultural value chains through aggregation, agricultural financing, value addition, and marketing of farm produce to improve income for farmers across the county,” said Nyeri governor Mutahi Kahiga during the launch of 2023-2027 CIDP last month.

Courtesy ; K. N. A