Kenya’s small-scale farmers to benefit from Sh4bn Climate-Smart Agriculture Project: Expert

We all know climate change is posing a serious threat to livelihoods. Experts have been warning since years that if the problem is not shortened, many countries will be in risk facing serious shortage of food.

According to a research scientist at Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security Program (CCAFS), John Recha, farmers depending on rain-fed agriculture are registering loses and this affects the entire value chain leading to job losses resulting to poverty. “It is high time farmers planted the right seeds and venture into crops that mature within a short window. Farmers also need to invest in crops which can withstanding emerging diseases pests like the Fall Army worm,” he said.

John Recha was addressing a stakeholder knowledge sharing workshop in Nakuru organized by The Netherlands Development Organisation, SNV, which has injected 4 billion shillings in a regional initiative to train farmers on how to deal with the effects of climate change. The project that is known as Climate-Smart Agriculture East Africa is being implemented in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, as reported by Capital Business.

SNV is collaborating with Wageningen University & Research (WUT), the CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), Agriterra and Rabo partnership in the climate-smart agriculture project. “We shall work with the national and county government to see how we can create an enabling legal, institutional and regulatory framework, the project manager for the Kenya chapter Joseph Muhwanga.

The Chief Officer for Agriculture, Nakuru County Government, Joel Kibett said the county government was encouraging famers to grow potatoes because they can easily adapt to unpredictable rainfall, “Being a short season crop, requiring short rains to mature, we think it is a good crop, which can be used to mitigate the effects of climate change in the county,” he told the workshop.

Also Read: Kenya to save Sh2bn electricity by supplying geothermal power to western Kenya