By Anthony Mwangi, Kenya News Agency
Farmers in Nyandarua North have been urged to venture into poultry and pomegranate farming to combat climate change challenges while simultaneously improving nutrition.
Speaking during a demonstration farm tour in Nyandarua North Sub County, CARE-USA Vice President, Food and Water System Unit, Juan Echanove, said that to boost farmers’ livelihoods and promote commercial farming, they should engage in drought-resistant farming.
Nyandarua North borders Laikipia County to the East and is the driest region of Nyandarua County.
The visit comes on the backdrop of a partnership agreement by the Nyandarua county government and CARE International in Kenya and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) through “Catalyzing Strengthened Policy Action for Healthy Diets and Resilience” (CASCADE) project.
Nyandarua County Executive in charge of Agriculture Francis Miring’u noted that poultry farming has been identified as a rich venture in the dry region because of the warm environment required for keeping birds.
Pomegranate farming on the other hand has been endorsed as a drought-resistant fruit that requires less water, matures quickly, fetches good prices in the market, and at the same time has very high nutritional value.
“The county has been ranked below average in stunting because of poor nutrition and specifically matters protein.
To address the issue, the poultry enterprise will be very valuable in addressing the nutritional value of our people. That will be a real turnaround for the whole county and it is affordable for many people,” said Miring’u.
CARE International Kenya Project Manager, Thomas Ongogo, said that they aim to address food security and inculcate resilient agriculture in drought-hit areas to be able to secure livelihoods.
He added that poultry production is one of the inclusive ventures that can be taken up by people living with disability, women, and the youth alike.
“We are championing healthy diets and nutritious food intake that is needed for the growth of children and lactating mothers.
“The essence of it is to ensure we have a strong labour force in the community while ensuring we minimize expenses that go into the treatment of malnutrition-related diseases,” said Ongogo.
CARE International Kenya is using a learning demonstration called Farmer Field and Business School (FBS) model that provides an open space for learning by farmers on new technology in farming that goes into enhancing their productivity.
The end goal of the demonstration is to ensure farmers actively engage in the market. This is through nutrition, resilience, and income on the side of the farmer.
Dheiton Ventures were identified as the ideal Farmer Field and Business School (FBS) agency in the county. The enterprise will henceforth be training farmers and building their capacity in the region on poultry farming and pomegranate fruit growing.
The enterprise which is located in Ndaragwa Sub County has a chicken population of over 15,000 birds.
According to the owners of the farm, the chicken droppings are used as organic fertilizer and manure for the pomegranate fruits.