Farmers benefit from Sh30m fund

Farmers in Laikipia County have received funds worth Sh30 million from the World Bank under the Kenya Climate Smart Programme (KCSAP).

Governor Joshua Irungu issued cheques to various groups in the county to help them boost their farming projects during this rainy season.

The farmers' groups are drawn from six KCSAP wards - Segera, Tigithli, Ol Moran, Ngobit, Salama, and Rumuruti. They are implementing smart agricultural micro programmes whose design expected outcome is to increase productivity and create resilience among households.

"The farmers are expected to prudently invest these resources as they outlined in their project proposal during the application," said Irungu.

Using the farmers' field schools model, KCSAP programme is using the agriculture extension officers to bring together farmers from the targeted six semi-arid wards into a common, knowledge-sharing platform.

The farmers are trained as a group on the application of technology, innovation, and management (TIMs), in their farming activities, in modern, smart agriculture. "This is our commitment to the people. We want to empower them so that they can boost food production," he noted.

Ol' Moran women's self-help group chairperson Martha Muthoni said the funds will help them to improve fruit farming.