More tips on food security

Almost everyone depends on agriculture for a better life; the unemployed youth have embarked on Kenya runda (buying and selling of maize), poor mothers are counting on agriculture to take their children to school next year. Men till their farmers from sunrise hoping to harvest enough sugar cane and potatoes, they wish the soil could produce more, but alas! the farming methodologies are not to the required standards. I have spent time to find the “missing link”. The required modern skills do not reach the farmer. The farmers do not have the idea if farming methods have changed with times. I shared this small article with a small scale farmer at Kapkoi Market and he thought I have landed from somewhere in skies. One year down the line the man now supplies fruits and vegetables in Chepchoina and Endebess. This is what I shared with him:
“The idea to farm fruits and vegetables is a very brilliant idea,. The benefits actually outweigh the hassle, the toil and monetary expense. Imagine being able make a living and also eat the crops you grow right out of your one acre farm. The concept is fulfilling and downright nice when you think about it but that is only half the battle. To ensure that the corn, fruits or vegetables you grow come out nice and rich, you will want to take good care the farm. The effort will entail regular routines that will make the farm grow healthy and fight off the various threats that usually invade it such as pests, molds, fungi, weeds animals or human beings.
Feed your farm. Vegetation and all kinds of plant life need water. It is considered their food. Therefore, if you want your vegetation maturing healthily throughout the season, then you are required irrigate regulary if rainfall is not enough. Depending on rain alone won’t cut it. You need to take a few minutes of each day to water them especially in December, which will then provide the nutrients they need to live and prosper. If the farm is smaller, then you can probably manually water them every morning. .
Weeding. Your farm will eventually develop weeds. It is normal and natural. When this happens, it is important that you remove them immediately. Weeds can steal the glory of your vegetation not to mention the water and nutrients it needs to survive. Don’t let the weed infestation dominate the garden. Remove them daily.
Provide support. Once your farm starts to bear produce, it is a good idea to provide additional support to selected plants that bear fruit that can become quite heavy and large. These plants include bananas. tomato, eggplant, okra etc…. Providing wooden stakes at strategic locations to help the plant stand straight is definitely a good idea.
Battle the pests, thieves and rodents. Naturally, no farm will be exempted from the infestation of pests. If you want to keep your farm well maintained, it is important that you take precautionary measures to prevent these pests from walking away with your hard earned produce. Spray insecticide to kill insects. Use natural fertilizer and herbs to scare other pests such as animals away. If you are afraid of rabbits and birds, then consider strategically placing scarecrows around your garden. If people can trespass or steal your farm produce fence it properly and leave the entrance for you, your family and visitors (customers)
With all these common and practical measures, you will soon see your farm thriving with all kinds of food that you can either eat or sell.”

Food Security

If we will not be able to feed our self we will not be able to feed country.

i will initiate projects support in all parts of the county to grow food innovatively despite the vagaries of weather. Since 1992, unpredictable weather patterns have caused the rains to fail and when they came, they were either too inadequate to support the growth of crops to feed the people of the county or too much and cause displacemt there farmers relocate and as a result fail to do farming.

Working together with the governor i will empowers communities to use new agricultural methods such as water harvesting, greenhouse farming, drip irrigation, conservation, among others, to grow food. We will be able to also sensitize people to plant drought resisting crops as an alternative. These include cassava, millet, sorghum and potatoes.

We will seek partnership with Amiran Kenya and KickStart to impart communities with the know-how and the equipment to support water harvesting and efficient food storage. Further, the communities are trained on conservation of soil and other resources, including establishment of gabions, digging terraces and planting trees.

Come harvest time and the county will purchase farm produce from farmers at a reasonable price and store for future.I will propose to have silos in Kitale town, Endebess,Kiminini, Kaplamai and Kolongolo.With such storage will pile stocks of food and be able to feed our people and feed the nation too.

Yes we will

There are those who will continue to tell us we cannot do this. That we cannot have what we long for. That we are peddling false hopes.

But here's what I know. I know that when people say we can't overcome all the big money and influence in Trans-Nzoia, I think of the elderly man in Namanjalala who tapped me on the shoulder and said "It is not about your money give us the hope that we need most,that in our life we will have our children going out and getting jobs.People have money but they have not helped us,come to us and ask that we work together" So don't tell us change isn't possible.

When I hear the cynical talk that Nandis and Luhyias and Asians can't join together and work together, I'm reminded of the brothers and sisters of all tribes in Kitale, that we have lived worked together for years,the youth from different tribes that we have organized with, and stood with, and fought with side by side for security, jobs and justice in Kitalale,Kolongolo,Sabwani,Kapretwa and Mt Elgon. So don't tell us change can't happen.

Yes we can change.

Yes we can develope Trans-Nzoia together

Yes we can give hope to the young and comfort to the elderly.

And as we kick off with a new wind of change, and take this journey across the county we love with the message we've carried from the plains Endebess, hills of Cherangani; from Chalicha Market to the Mois Bridge river; the same message we had when we were up and when we were down - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope; and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people in three simple words:

Hiyo Tutachukua, Na Kubadilisha