Grassroots women in Tharaka Nithi County received a financial boost of Sh230,000 from Susan Ngugi Mwindu being support for income-generating goat keeping projects in Maara Constituency.
The Woman Representative, who visited Majira area, donated Sh110,000 to Dorcas Widows Women Group to support goat keeping aimed at improving livelihoods among widows and vulnerable families.
She also gave Kairuthi Maara Women Group Sh120,000 for a similar income-generating project targeting women empowerment at the grassroots.
Ngugi said the support was part of efforts to empower women economically and improve livelihoods at the community level.
She noted that agriculture remains the backbone of Tharaka Nithi’s economy and called for sustainable interventions to address challenges affecting irrigation schemes across the county.
The legislator said improved irrigation systems would enable farmers to maintain production throughout the year and reduce losses caused by prolonged dry spells that continue to affect agricultural productivity.
She further said she has plans to ensure farmers in irrigation-dependent areas are not left to rely solely on rainfall, adding that future interventions would focus on sustainable water solutions to guarantee consistent agricultural production.
Ngugi further emphasized the need for value addition in agriculture, saying farmers should benefit more through proper processing, packaging and marketing of their produce.
She added that strengthening agro-processing and industrialization at the local level would play a key role in reducing post-harvest losses, creating employment, and transforming agriculture from subsistence to a more commercial and industrial-driven sector.
The law maker pointed Weru Tea Factory as one of the county’s key economic assets and called for improved branding and packaging of local products to enhance competitiveness in both local and national markets.
She further said her long-term plan includes strengthening partnerships with key agricultural value chains such as Weru Tea Factory, particularly in improving branding, packaging and market access to enhance competitiveness of local produce.
According to the Woman Representative, strengthening value chains would help increase farmers’ earnings and create more employment opportunities for residents.
She observed that agricultural sectors often experience disruptions during periods of low harvest caused by prolonged drought, adding that investment in irrigation and modern farming methods would ensure more consistent production.
Ngugi also raised concern over post-harvest losses experienced by mango farmers, noting that lack of processing facilities has led to wastage of produce in the county.
She called for the establishment of small-scale agro-processing industries to enable farmers to add value to their produce, support industrialization at the local level, increase incomes and promote economic growth.
She further noted that the empowerment initiatives and agricultural development efforts align with the Government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which prioritizes agriculture, MSMEs, value addition and industrialization as key drivers of economic growth.
The legislator called for collaboration among farmers, women groups and other stakeholders in driving sustainable development and improving livelihoods across the county.
By Christine Ngitori
