By Bisola Adeyemo
Kenyan farmers have been encouraged to resort to drought-tolerant food crops such as cassava and millet to overcome hunger.
Rose Owenga, the Kisumu County government Head of Agri-nutrition, says that dry seasons require immediate mitigation measures to overcome food scarcity.
According to Kisumu, many people in the country face starvation due to reduced production of food crops and inadequate pasture for livestock, KNA reports.
“We are encouraging the production of cassava, potatoes, and other root tubers that are drought tolerant. With production of our indigenous foods, there is a great hope of bridging the gap of food insecurity experienced in certain homes and counties,” Ms. Owenga says.
Irene Omweri, 42, a resident of Getenga village in the outskirts of Kisii town, Kisii County and a farmer, narrates how growing three-month finger millet helps her feed her family during the January dry spell.
“Instead of planting maize for six months, we grow millet for three months and it is profitable. You can cook porridge, ugali and sell the remainder in the market to pay school fees for our children,” Mrs. Omweri said.
“Yellow maize ripens in three months. Instead of growing the hybrid maize that takes six months to ripen, plant the yellow maize. It helps us to fight hunger,” Omweri advised.
The farmers have also called upon the county government to send more extension officers to the field to train them on proper cultivation of crops that endure dry spell and mature quickly.