Farmers get tips on raising production at field day with experts
Farmers from Burat display honey during the first ever Isiolo County farmers’ field day at the Isiolo School for the Deaf farm on June 28, 2022.
Hundreds of farmers in Isiolo sub-county have received tips on modern practices in horticulture, poultry, beekeeping and fish farming.
This was during the county’s first field day that offered a platform for exchanging knowledge among several actors in the agriculture sector.
At the event held at the Isiolo School for the Deaf, farmers were taught best animal and crop farming methods, including pest and disease control, to increase productivity and avoid post-harvest losses.
Mrs Mary Mulwa, a farmer, said the event, organised by the Isiolo County government and the World Food Programme (WFP), offered them an opportunity to learn from other established farmers so that they can diversify crop farming.
Pesticides on display during the first ever Isiolo County farmers’ field day at the Isiolo School for the Deaf farm on June 28, 2022.
Exchange ideas
“The field day is very important because it gives us an opportunity to exchange ideas and knowledge for improved farming practices,” she said.
Mr James Lotubwa, a farmer from Burat ward, said water is the main impediment to farming and appealed to authorities to sink boreholes in areas where crop farming is practised to help growers increase yields.
He said that he and others had ventured into sunflower farming and would start producing oil after receiving Sh2 million in support from a development partner to purchase a machine for use in oil extraction.
“Such sessions should be done across the county for all farmers to get equipped with the knowledge and skills that we have learnt,” he said.
Beekeepers give tips to farmers who attended Isiolo County farmers’ field day at the Isiolo School for the Deaf farm on June 28, 2022.
Value addition and markets
Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Chief Officer Lucy Kaburu said Governor Mohamed Kuti’s administration is committed to educating farmers on value addition and linking them to markets for their produce.
She asked farmers to take advantage of the region’s growing population to produce more for increased income.
Farmers who attended Isiolo County farmers’ field day on June 28, 2022 get tips on how to prepare fish.
“We are asking them not to produce for surplus only but even for their own consumption to beat hunger and malnutrition, especially among children,” Ms Kaburu said.
Dr Julius Githinji, county director of Livestock and Fisheries, asked farmers to get advice from agricultural extension officers if they want to improve productivity.
With support from the county government, the WFP and the Kenya Red Cross, the Isiolo School for the Deaf has been producing food for its own consumption and selling the surplus to the local community.
