The Mountain Journal
Kirinyaga Governor
Anne Waiguru plans to revitalize Kamweti Agricultural Training Center into a
center of excellence for farmers and students to learn the best agricultural practices.
The plans will see
Kamweti ATC transformed into an institution recognized countrywide as a
benchmarking center for best farming practices where farmers will get quality seeds
and the best training on farming.
Speaking during the
annual farmers’ field day, County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture,
Livestock, Veterinary, and Fisheries Dr. John Gachara who represented the governor
during the official opening of the mini agricultural show said that the county would
pump in more money into the institution so as to expand its capacity.
He said the field day
was meant as a way to bring together, farmers across the County so as to
educate them on the latest best farming practices.
“We bring farmers from
across the County so that they can learn the newest farming technologies and
practices from our researchers and experts. We want farmers to embrace these
technologies so that we can address issues of food security, especially in times
of drought like what we are currently experiencing,” said Gachara.
The field day has
brought together farmers, researchers, experts, students, and exhibitors from
various value chains, cooperative societies, and manufacturers of agricultural
inputs.
Gachara said the first
day of the exhibition was attended by approximately 600 farmers.
The show is being held
under the theme, ‘To Improve Food Security through Value Addition’.
The farmers were
educated on various forms of diversification to ensure that their pieces of land
are fully utilized.
“We have been
educated on the different ways to make use of our farms and not grow just one
crop, to ensure that we always have food. We are grateful to the County Government
for organizing this forum and we would want them to be doing it more often,”
said Nancy Wanjiru, one of the farmers who had attended the event.
Agriculture is the
economic main day for the people of Kirinyaga.
Through the Wezesha
Program, Governor Waiguru’s focus for the next five years is on sustainability
and commercializing agriculture by leveraging on innovations and technologies
for aggregation, agro-processing, and export-oriented value addition through organized
value chain-based farmers groups to form cooperative societies.
The County Government
supports farmers through initiatives such as training and establishing of
various value chains.
Governor Waiguru says
the planned setup of the Sagana Industrial Park will be a game changer as it
will attract investors and open up diverse opportunities, especially for the youth
and professionals of Kirinyaga County.
Kirinyaga County has
many opportunities that can be exploited by investors who want to venture into
manufacturing and agro-processing.
www.themountainjournal.co.ke
