Agriculture, Livestock, Cooperatives & Fisheries
1.Β Β Β Β Agriculture Sector.
This sector includes Rain fed and irrigation based Crops farming, Livestock, Fisheries farming as well as Co-operatives. The sector accounts for over 65% of the total earnings of the County and over 80% of employment.
It supports other sectors, ensuring food security and production of raw material for agro-based industry.
There is great potential for increased productivity, commercialization, competitiveness and promotion of
value addition. Key subsectors that offer investment opportunities include:-
a.Β Β Β Β Horticultural Development.
The sub sector is supported by favorable weather,irrigation potential, and proximity to markets;
access to Airstrip and two international airports,demand for high value crops such as fruits,vegetables, cut flowers and bananas. This Sub Sector offers opportunities in Agricultural inputs supply including Seed, Planting materials,Tissue Cultured Banana plantlets, Green Houses,Irrigation equipment, Research and Technology transfer.
b.Β Β Β Β Dairy Value Chain Development.
The value chain development includes improvement of livestock breeds through subsidized Artificial Insemination program,promotion of proper animal feeding, promotion of milk processing and production of milk and milk products. The Dairy Sub Sector offers unlimited opportunities for investment both in primary
production, Transportation, processing, packaging and marketing.
c.Β Β Β Β Maize Value Chain Development
The County has embarked on a program to increase the production of Maize by at least thirty per cent. The maize value chain offers
opportunity for Farm Inputs supply (including land preparation, fertilizer and seed), Post-harvest handling (harvesting, drying and storage), Milling
(including production of co-products), packaging and Marketing,
d.Β Β Β Β Tea Development
As part of our efforts to promote agro-processing the County is promoting tea as an Industrial Crop.
The County has great and unexploited potential for tea production. The ongoing program includes expansion of area under tea bushes, enhancing
productivity, establishment of modern green leaf tea buying centers, green leaf transportation and ultimately construction of tea factory.
e.Β Β Β Β Upland Rice Production.
Rice is being promoted both as an alternative income earner and food security initiative through the crop diversification program.The Program includes good
agricultural practices promotion through extension, appropriate mechanization, provision of irrigation equipment, proper post-harvest handling that includesthreshing and drying, milling, packaging and marketing. So far there are 100 acres of land under NERICA rice production and the potential is
enormous. Continuous growth of this enterprise will offer unlimited opportunities for investment.
f.Β Β Β Β Agricultural mechanization.
Mechanization plays a key role in commercialization of Agriculture. The level of mechanization remains low in the County. There exist opportunities in the sector for mechanization in land preparation, planting, harvesting, post-harvest handling, transportation and processing of various agricultural enterprises. The county has
acquired agricultural machinery and equipment to promote agricultural mechanization in an effort to address low levels of mechanization but investment opportunities in mechanization are unlimited.
g.Β Β Β Β Soil fertility rehabilitation and improvement.
The county and the sector offer opportunity for investment in fertilizer production and trade. A unique opportunity is offered by the county which hosts three large sugar factories, there is potential for development of an organic fertilizer plant to use the by-products from the sugar sub sector.
h.Β Β Β Β Subsidized Blended Fertilizer
The Subsidized fertilizer initiative seeks to ensure that productivity is improved through ensuring appropriate fertilizer is affordable, accessible and available to the farmers.
i.Β Β Β Β Poultry Value Chain Development
The poultry value chain development objective is to promote commercialization of poultry farming. This includes improved poultry housing,feeding, value addition and marketing for poultry and poultry products. There exits great potential for poultry feeds production and supply and a hatchery to satisfy day old chicks requirement.
j.Β Β Β Β Fisheries Development
Kakamega County Fish Farming Programme is on-going to promote increased production of fish.The expansion of fish ponds, riverine and dam fisheries offers opportunities for fingerlings and brood stock production, fish feeds production and distribution, Value addition and technology transfer opportunities.
k.Β Β Β Β Veterinary Services
The county regularly conducts a countywide routine free Foot & Mouth Disease (FMD) for cattle and Rabies vaccination to ensure disease free livestock sector. A fully equipped Subsidized Artificial Insemination service is operational and has so far done 11,300 inseminations in its first year of commencement. The County diagnostic
laboratory has been rehabilitated and equipped to offer veterinary diagnostic services for the region.