Kisumu County Government team led by the CECM for WENCCNR, Madam Judith Oluoch, today held a high-level inception meeting with representatives from FAO – Kenya, led by Tito Arunga, to officially introduce the project to County government officials.
The new project will span over a period of 6years and the Danish,
Kenya government and FAO Kenya will fund it. The project is focused on transformation of livelihoods of the people, while at the same time restoring and rehabilitating the degraded lands in Kisumu.
Participants in the meeting were the CECM for WENCCNR, Chief Officers, County Directors, members of the technical working group, drawn from the departments of Water, Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources, Agriculture, Irrigation, Livestock, Fisheries and Blue economy, Trade, Industry, Cooperatives and marketing together with FAO representatives.
Tian Cia, the program Officer presented an overview of the project and looked at the funding mechanisms, project objectives, outcomes, outputs and main areas of implementation.
She further explained the criteria through which the targeted beneficiaries would be considered, i.e. they should be operating in the value chains selected, the groups can be a CBO, CIGs, FPOs or Community Forest Associations, considerations will also be based on where the people stay to help achieve livelihoods and restoration aspects and inclusivity component especially for youths, women and persons with disability
County representatives from the technical working group also gave highlights on the available resources, policies, governance structures, priority value chains that included dairy, African leafy vegetables, fruit trees combined with coffee trees and apiculture that the project would leverage on to meet its objectives.
The CECM, Madam Judith Oluoch thanked FAO for considering LREB for the project implementation. She also thanked the County officials for the fruitful deliberations as both the partners work on best practices that will ensure the project achieves its goal.
