By Emily Mikwa
A team from the National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) together with the National Project Coordination Unit (NPCU) were in Kisumu County on an implementation support mission to understand the level of preparedness towards the implementation of the NAVCDP project.
Significantly the visit was also an opportunity that provided a platform to share experiences among counties such as Siaya, Kisumu, and Nyeri, to assess that the implementation is done by the project’s objectives.
Speaking during the visit, the CECM from Nyeri County Mr. James Mturi who is also one of the leaders of the CECM Cocus of Agriculture and who sits in NTAC for NAVCDP said he was impressed by the level of preparedness in Kisumu County having visited an FPO dairy in Kajulu, irrigation scheme in South West Kano and a SACCO in Chemelil where farmers come together to mobilize savings that will facilitate loans for agriculture investments.
“We are excited about the progress in Kisumu, the level of preparedness is exciting and encouraging, hence the project can now inject the necessary investments to scale up the SACCO.” Said Mr. Mturi
As a committee, he said they are committed to handholding them to ensure they are facilitated.
Concerning county-to-county learning, the CECM affirmed that Nyeri is known to have stronger SACCOs and Cooperatives from which Kisumu can learn; mobilizing members and keeping them together and also in terms of building other services into the SACCO and Cooperatives that can attract more flow of clients for example, the County Government making the facility a last mile fertilizer distribution program that will mobilize more members.
His clarion call to the farmers is to go out and mobilize more members in FPOs and SACCOs for better access to the market and to make sure everyone has the necessary financial inclusion.
On his part, the Kisumu CECM for Agriculture, Hon. Kenneth Onyango said the visit was important since Kisumu is still at the consent stage hence the input of the technical team would be key to advise on the viability of some of the projects.
Hon. Kenneth underscored the significance of food security outlined in Governor Nyong’o ‘s ten-point agenda. On this, the county has employed 150 extension officers and the budgetary allocation for agriculture has been increased to enhance outreach to the farmers.
He further stated that the County is developing a new voucher system where farm inputs will be pocket-friendly to the farmers.
On NAVCDP, the CECM said seven agripenuers from each Ward have been brought on board to work closely with youth farmers along the value chain nodes from production to marketing by the GIZ.
