By Bisola Adeyemo
Over 20 youths in Kwale County have teamed up as a group to educate local farmers on how to embrace commercial farming methods to fight perennial hunger in the country.
The program which tagged ‘elimu shamba’ will be able to enlighten local farmers on the uses of techniques farming tools and value additions to farms crops.
Omar Jundani, Elimu Shamba Program Coordinator, who spoke with KNA on Wednesday, said the initiative by Kwale county youths will at least save the county food security and at the same time engage some youths in the farming system.
Jundani stated that farmers in the county are still subscribing to traditional techniques of farming, a factor that has been blamed for the perennial food shortages over the years.
He added that the region receives insufficient rainfall that cannot support maize crop farming hence the need to agitate for a change.
“We must educate our people on proper farming. Climate change has affected our county and the rains we receive are insufficient. We must change the culture of maize crop farming and adopt another culture. We must find an alternative option for our community,” he said.
Speaking on soil quality for farming, the youth-led group, said the region has fertile soil that could support sorghum, peas, and green beans that are drought resistant.
Also, the county has fertile soil that can support the growing of carrots, sukuma wiki, onions, avocados, pineapples, and many commercial crops.
Jundani said if relevant authorities in the field of agriculture could have been educating the locals on proper farming then the county could have been secure during droughty seasons.
“Every year the county reports cases of malnutrition and this is attributed to poor farming techniques. It’s time we change that for the better,” he said during an interview in Kwale town.
He said the educational seminars will be held across Kinango, Msambweni, Matuga, and Lunga- Lunga sub-counties where close to 20 farmers from each ward will be engaged.