Governors push for biotechnology to raise food yields

A number of Western Kenya governors are pushing for use of biotechnology and production of drought-resistant crops to boost food security.

Speaking at a forum on biotechnology at Imperial Hotel in Kisumu recently, governors from five counties in Nyanza blamed poor farming practices as well as low investment in agricultural technology for food shortage.

Kisumu governor Jack Ranguma said that additional tractors would be made available for farmers to hire because the 23 that had been released early this year are inadequate. Farmers hire the tractors at Sh1,500 for an acre.

Mr Ranguma said they would procure additional farm machinery to increase land under agriculture from the current 3,000 acres, adding that the county was alarmed by persistent food shortage despite the immense agricultural potential of the region.

The governor, who is also the chair of the bio-technology committee in the Council of Governors, noted that counties are key in campaigns to improve farming systems and boost production.

“Food supply is low in the region with a heavy reliance on supplies from outside western Kenya, which are expensive.”

He said that the lessons learnt and gains made from a pilot sorghum farming project in Nyando constituency would be replicated in Kisumu where traditional crop farming methods have posted dismal results.

“We turned a number of rice fields into sorghum farms following realisation that challenges in rice trade were insurmountable,” said Mr Ranguma. “At the same time, we are vouching for the introduction of rice varieties that don’t need irrigation.”

Migori governor Zachary Obado blamed reliance on sugarcane in the county for the food scarcity experienced by residents.

He described as “misleading” the perception that sugarcane farming had higher returns, adding that farmers would have to start planting other crops.

“With the unending crisis in the sugar sector, we direct all farmers to secure a portion of their land for production of food,” he said without clarifying how the directive would be enforced.

His counterpart in Siaya, Mr Cornel Rasanga also blamed poor farming systems for food insecurity in the region.

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In his mid-term plan for the county, Mr Rasanga said that more than 120 acres of land would be set aside as a pilot project for farmers to learn best practices in food production.

He said that the pilot project would complement use of tractors, which were introduced to replace oxen for farm preparation.

# KIM #