The Mountain Journal
Murang’a County has been ranked the first county in Kenya to embark in the agro ecology practice following passing of the Act by the county assembly.
The Murang’a County Agro Ecology Development Bill 2022 was passed to promote the best farming practice advocated by hundreds of farming groups and NGO led by Pelum and Institute for Culture Centre of Ecology (ICE).
Photo/Dr Ralph Roothaert from SNV
On Friday, farmers from Machakos, Tharaka Nithi, Murang’a among other areas witnessed the local Deputy Governor Stephen Munania in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the NGOs on the full implementation of the Act.
The Act allows the county government to set aside 10 percent of the allocation in the agriculture department in the promotion of agro ecology farming.
It will also ensure the county government creates linkages for the market of the produce from the farmers, and packaging of the produce for the export market.
The programme will be implemented through CIDP and ADP with the county annual cycle.
Munania said the policy regulations will promote and develop organic farming in the county with more than one million residents where 80 percent are farmers.
Murang’a County, he said, will be used in the benching marking in the agro-ecology farming after being the first to adopt the concept through a policy and a regulation.
Munania said he was impressed by the crusaders of agro ecology farming as the majority were youth, thus designed to increase food production in the future.
“ A major concern in Murang’a is an average age of the farmer is 50 year old, thus spells doom for the future if the youth would not be encouraged to get in the agriculture,” said Munania.
Mary Irungu a programme officer at Pelum said agro ecology has proved the best farming practice owing to the use of the available materials.
“ The National Government was working with the players in the sector to design a framework to promote organic farming,” said Ms Irungu.
Dr Ralph Roothaert from SNV said there was a need for the African countries to embrace safe farming as it protects the soils from damage thus remaining fertile.
“ Women and youth have been trained on the concept with hundreds doing horticulture earning them thousands of shillings daily, Vegetables are in high demand thus need for increased production,” said Ralph.
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