AGRICULTURE MINISTRY WORKING WITH PARTNERS TO BOOST FOOD SECURITY

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives convened a multisectoral sensitization workshop with the County Project Coordinating Committee and the County Technical Team on Thursday morning to discuss Inception and Implementation of the Kenya Livestock Commercialization Project (KelCoP) whose objective is to increase rural small scale farmers’ incomes, food and nutrition. KelCoP is a six-year project funded by International Fund for Agricultural Department (IFAD) in conjunction with the National Government.

The CECM for Agriculture Mr. Benjamin Andama appreciated the partners stating that the project will not only foster H.E FCPA Governor Fernandes Barasa’s Food Security pillar, one of his six point development agenda, but also enhance the National Government’s transformation agenda of increasing Agricultural income and produce.

Frandina Khavere, the County Project Coordinator KeLCoP, said Kakamega is among the 10 counties that will be covered by the project which is worth KES 9.46 Billion. In Kakamega, it targets 18,844 vulnerable households in four wards in the Sub-Counties of Lugari, Khwisero, Shinyalu and Butere.

Earlier on, CECM Andama together with his Chief Officers toured Tupande Organization at One Acre Fund Headquarters, Ikonyero in Kakamega Municipality. Tupande is an agricultural organization that supplies small scale farmers with farm inputs in addition to training them on the need of thriving and building resilient communities. He promised to review an MoU that was signed between the County Government of Kakamega and the Organization in 2021 aimed at improving the productivity and lives of farmers in the County.