By Yoga David
CECM Beatrice Odongo addressing the forum at the Chief’s camp in West Nyakach Ward/ Photos by Adams Claine.
Farmers in West Nyakach Ward in Nyakach Sub-County have expressed renewed hope for better livelihoods through sorghum farming.
This is thanks to a joint initiative between the County Government of Kisumu, CARE Kenya and Kenya Breweries Limited under the Diageo TOT project.
CECM for Sports, Culture, Gender and Youth Affairs, Beatrice Odongo, who joined the farmers during a community dialogue forum at West Nyakach Ward, said the county is keen on ensuring communities benefit fully from such programs before they wind up.
“As a county we are here to listen, learn and walk with you. This project is not about growing sorghum. It is about transforming lives. People perish because they lack information,” she said.
“When you are trained and equipped your mindset changes and with it you standard of living” Said Ms Odongo.
She encouraged the farmers to form groups for easier access to training, markets and credit facilities.
She further assured them that the county is working with institutions such as the Women Enterprise Fund and UWEZO Fund to link farmers to affordable financing opportunities.
The forum was convened by CARE Kenya, under the Diageo TOT project, in partnership with Kenya Breweries (KBL) and Kisumu County.
The program is empowering 96 farmers groups across Kisumu, Siaya and Homabay to grow sorghum as a reliable cash crop.
In Kisumu. The focus areas are Nyakach, Seme and Nyando sub-counties where farmers are gaining vital skills in agribusiness, financial literacy and modern farming.
Beyond sorghum farming. The project is also breaking barriers,encouraging joint decision-making at home, promoting women leadership, advancing land ownership rights and amplifying women’s voices in the sorghum value chain.
According to Thomas Ongogo, Programme Manager at CARE Kenya, who oversees the project, said women provide most of the labour in sorghum production, yet men still dominate decisions on land, income and resource use.
“You find women do a lot of work at labour level. Provision of labour and farming. When they are told to submit details for payments, they normally submit those of their husbands.” he said.
Ongogo added “It is a perception we carry from generation to generation. We are currently trying to challenge some of the restrictive social gender norms around production of sorghum and even marketing”
Benson Wathare, a CARE Kenya officer working with the project added that the program is also addressing perceptions on economically empowered women.
“According to our survey there is general perception that women who are economically empowered, are perceived to be tough-headed and this hinders women from fully participating in these spaces” said Wathare.
“In this forum we are trying to promote an environment where both men and women can do joint decision making at the household level” added Wathare.
Ms Odongo lauded the initiative saying such partnership complement the County’s efforts in improving livelihoods and social transformation
