The Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA) has stepped up efforts to encourage farmers in Muhoroni Sub-County, Kisumu County, to adopt sunflower farming in a bid to diversify crops and increase farmers’ income.
The initiative, implemented in collaboration with GreenTec Hub, will see more than 200 acres placed under sunflower cultivation as part of an effort to link smallholder farmers to livestock feed and edible oil markets.
In his speech during the unveiling at the Muhoroni Integrated Technology Transfer Centre (ITTC), LBDA Managing Director Wycliffe Ochiaga, represented by the Director of Engineering Services and Infrastructure Development Eng. Jacob Akuno, described sunflowers as a strategic crop capable of driving economic transformation in rural communities.
Ochiaga emphasized that the sunflower value chain program aimed at creating jobs, enhancing food security and strengthening agro-industrial development across the Lake Basin region.
“The sunflower value chain directly connects farmers to both livestock feed markets and edible oil processing, making it one of the most resilient and profitable agricultural investments,” Ochiaga assured.
The project seeks to establish a complete value chain from production to processing and marketing. Sunflower seeds will be processed into cooking oil, while sunflower cake will be used in livestock feed manufacturing, creating a reliable market for farmers and reducing dependence on imported edible oils.
According to him, the initiative is anchored on improved seed varieties, modern agronomic practices, and strong market linkages designed to maximize productivity and profitability.
He noted that sunflower is well suited to the climatic conditions of western Kenya due to its moderate input requirements, tolerance to dry conditions and relatively short maturity period, making it an attractive crop for smallholder farmers facing increasing climate-related risks.
“The success of sunflowers is not only in the field. Drying, storage, aggregation and transportation determine whether farmers earn premium value from their harvests,” Ochiaga said.
To ensure success, GreenTec Hub will provide certified sunflower seeds, technical support, farmer training, and guaranteed off-take agreements, while LBDA and the County government will facilitate access to land and irrigation support as well as farmer outreach.
The MD emphasized the need for farmers to organize themselves into cooperatives and producer groups to strengthen aggregation, improve bargaining power and ensure a consistent supply of quality produce to processors.
For years, farmers in the region have relied on sugarcane farming and struggled with the challenges of an unreliable market as well as low-value agricultural production.
The new partnership seeks to promote crop diversification and market linkages by creating a structured market system and promoting value addition at every stage of the production chain.
“To our farmers, you are the heart of this initiative. We have heard your concerns about markets. We are saying the market is here. Let us plant, harvest and prosper together,” he said.
If successfully implemented, farmers will earn up to 40 percent more per hectare compared to traditional maize farming with fewer risks and shorter cycles.
Stakeholders attending the launch hailed the initiative as a major step towards agricultural diversification, rural industrialization and sustainable economic growth.
by Robert Ojwang and Wendy Awuor
