Farmers at the Coastal region have been urged to embrace climate-smart agricultural technologies to boost food production, amid changing weather patterns.
East African Grain Council Executive Director Gerald Masila said farmers needed to move away from traditional farming methods and adopt sustainable practices, including drought-resistant seeds, irrigation and modern farming technologies to improve yields, even during periods of low rainfall.
Speaking during an agribusiness exhibition for farmers from the Coastal counties at the Pwani University in Kilifi County, Masila urged small-scale farmers to organize themselves into groups to improve access to affordable farm inputs and reliable markets.
He said organized farmers could pool resources and make bulk purchases of seeds, fertilizers and other agricultural inputs, enabling them to access genuine products at competitive prices through the council’s network.
“We tell the small-scale farmer not to work alone. Ensure that you register as a member of a farmers’ group. We want to work with farmers who are organized in groups,” said Masila.
He added that farmers could consolidate their produce and access better markets through the council’s G-Soko platform, which connects producers with buyers and processors.
Masila said the exhibition had attracted more than 2,000 farmers from Kilifi and neighboring counties, providing them with an opportunity to learn about improved seed varieties, pest management, value addition and modern agricultural technologies.
He particularly encouraged farmers in the Coastal region to venture into soya bean farming, noting that the crop was relatively drought-tolerant and matured within 90 days.
He said soya beans also improved soil fertility through nitrogen fixation while providing raw materials for animal feeds, edible oils and other industrial products.
The County Chief Officer for Agriculture, Crops and Irrigation Teddy Yawa urged farmers to diversify their crop production by embracing indigenous and drought-tolerant varieties, including cassava, to reduce overreliance on traditional crops.
Yawa said the county government was investing in water infrastructure to support agricultural production, amid increasingly unreliable rainfall.
He called on farmers to reduce their dependence on rain-fed agriculture and embrace sustainable technologies to improve food security.
“We have to depart from depending too much on rain-fed agriculture and embrace technologies that are sustainable,” said Yawa.
He cited the construction of water pans across the county, including more than 85 in Kaloleni Sub-County and a Sh70 million water pan project in Ganze.
Yawa said the county had acquired an excavator to support the construction of water pans and partnered with Empowerment for Farmers to develop more than 60 additional water pans.
Pwani University Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof. Rose Ruto said institutions of higher learning should prioritize research and innovation, aimed at addressing community challenges, while creating opportunities to commercialize locally developed solutions.
She said the exhibition provided a platform for farmers and students to interact with new agricultural technologies and innovations.
“The reason why education should be useful is because it should be able to create solutions that can be felt in the community,” said Ruto.
However, farmers attending the exhibition cited limited access to irrigation, mechanization and agricultural extension services as some of the challenges affecting agricultural production.
Christine Samba, Vice-Chairperson of a women’s farmers’ cooperative in Taita Taveta County, said the training had exposed her to water-saving technologies, the push-pull method of pest control and opportunities for value addition.
She said she would share the knowledge with more than 1,000 farmers affiliated with the cooperative to encourage the adoption of modern agricultural practices.
Samba said access to farm machinery remained a major challenge, noting that acquiring a tractor through the cooperative would enable farmers to prepare their land more efficiently.
“We have large areas of land for farming, but one of the challenges we face is access to tractors. If we could get a tractor through our cooperative, we would be able to plough for our farmers,” she said.
She also called for increased investment in irrigation, saying unpredictable rainfall had negatively affected maize production in the area.
Another farmer, James Katana Muranga, from Kilifi County, called on universities to extend agricultural research and training to rural farming communities to promote the adoption of improved farming practices.
Muranga said the exhibition had introduced him to techniques such as grafting, value addition and improved livestock management, which could help increase farmers’ incomes.
He also encouraged farmers to preserve indigenous seed varieties, saying some local crops were better adapted to the climatic conditions in their areas.
“We need the university to come down to the grassroots and share the research and technologies they have developed with farmers,” he said.
The exhibition was organized through a partnership between the East African Grain Council and Pwani University and brought together farmers, agricultural companies and government institutions to showcase sustainable farming technologies and promote agricultural productivity.
by Stephen Mrira and Queen Wanzia
