Day: April 3, 2023

The government has set up an Automatic Weather Station (AWS) at Enkorika Kajiado Central which will assist farmers in planning when to plant and harvest crops thus improving their yields.

The automatic weather station is among 154 other stations set up in 24 counties at a cost of Sh 500 million by the World Bank through the Kenya Climate-Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP).

The AWS built at a cost of Sh5 million has a data logger component that will relay information to farmers on temperature, wind speed and direction, humidity, soil conditions, rainfall quantities and other variables every five minutes to a 15km radius.

Data collected from the station on temperature and wind speed helps farmers determine the right time to spray pesticides.

The AWS will also assist in warning farmers in advance of adverse weather conditions such as hail storms, excessive or deficient rains thus allowing them to plan accordingly.

Speaking during the launch, State Department for Environment and Climate Change Deputy Secretary of Administration Mr. Cornelius Sangura revealed that information from the weather station will help increase agricultural productivity thus boost food security.

Sangura added that the station will help farmers choose the right crop to grow depending on the rainfall patterns and soil texture. ‘Monitoring soil moisture and temperature and maintaining these parameters at the correct levels is crucial for cash crops that have short harvest cycles,’ he said.

He further called on residents to plant trees to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. ‘I want to urge all farmers to plant trees in their farms. For us to achieve the target of planting 15 billion trees in Kenya by 2030, each farmer must plant a total of 300 trees in their homes,’ said Sangura.

Mr. Salim Kinyimu, an ICT expert from Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KARLO), noted that the Automatic Weather Station will automatically send real-time ground weather data from Entorika, Kajiado Central to their offices thus improve the dissemination of farm specific agro weather advisories to Kajiado farmers.

Kajiado County Commissioner Felix Watakila echoed Sangura’s sentiments and called on all locals and government institutions to plant trees even as the rainy season commences.

The CC warned those involved in illegal logging and charcoal burning that their days were numbered.

‘We have had rampant felling of trees and charcoal burning and this has contributed to the prolonged drought witnessed in this county. We are conducting a crackdown on all charcoal dealers and loggers as we must put a stop to this illegal trade,’ said Watakila.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Murang’a County Government has launched the Guaranteed Minimum Returns (GMR) programme which is aimed at supporting dairy and mango farmers.

In the supplementary budget for this financial year, the county administration allocated Sh200 million to actualise the GMR programme and boost the two sectors which were in the past performing poorly.

The GMR programme is being implemented after the county government put in place a requisite policy and legal framework to provide subsidies for both mango and dairy sectors.

Towards the end of last year, Murang’a County Assembly approved the County Agricultural subsidy Policy that laid the basis for a roadmap to attaining GMR for both dairy and mango sectors.

When launching the programme on Sunday at Gatunyu area, Governor Irungu Kang’ata said since January this year, the registered farmers have been receiving a subsidy which is paid together with producer prices paid by the processors.

In the dairy sector, 16, 504 farmers have already received Sh3.50 per litre of milk on top of the amount paid by the processor.

The governor noted that about 3, 000 farmers are yet to receive their payments due to hitches arising from their personal details they provided saying the challenge will be resolved and the money be wired to the farmers’ accounts.

Dr Kang’ata said they have settled on 13 dairy cooperative societies which have a membership of 19, 254 farmers.

He noted that dairy farming in Murang’a is one of the main economic activities and the subsidy will go a long way to boost farmers’ earnings and help them produce more milk.

The governor asked dairy farmers who are yet to join cooperative societies to do so saying the 13 societies tendered their bids and were successful and called upon the small groups to join the big cooperative societies to benefit from the GMR.

Dr Kang’ata said the dairy farmer who received the highest subsidy was paid Sh63, 000 after delivering more than 18, 000 litres of milk per month.

He noted that 828 mango farmers have already benefited from subsidies of a total of Sh7 since January this year.

The Mango sector, he said, was neglected and his administration has helped to form a cooperative society for the farmers who are mainly from lower parts of the county.

‘The farmers were paid Sh3.50 per kilo of fresh mangoes for each of the harvest months of February and March. We sourced for them buyers who were purchasing a kilo of fresh mangoes at Sh16. Topping up this amount with the subsidy, a farmer earned Sh19.50 per kilo,’ he added.

The county chief explained they helped first create awareness and sensitisation to the mango farmers and as county administration facilitated transportation of the fruits to the collection centres.

Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria who graced the occasion lauded the programme saying it will create employment for thousands of people at the grassroots.

He said his Ministry is working to support similar programmes and bring on board youths to venture in agribusiness.

Source: Kenya News Agency