The State Department for Crops Development Principal Secretary (PS), Kello Harsama, has stated that the government is prioritizing leasing out large parcels of land owned by the government under parastatals and other organizations to both local and international investors. This is meant to increase food production for both local consumption and exports through the implementation of the Land Commercial Initiative (LCI), which in turn will help bridge the food deficit in the country.
Read more: Kenya Aims to Boost Agricultural Sector, Reduce Number of Food-Insecure Kenyans by 50%
The PS highlighted the recent drought in the country as the main motivation for the LCI route. He stated that the strategy was to turn 500,000 acres out of the 2.5 million acres of idle arable held by parastatals into agricultural production to help bridge the food deficit in the country, which stood at 7.8 million bags of maize as of 2022, against the food demand in the country, which is currently estimated at 67 million bags of maize as of 2022. The government also plans the construction of over 100 mega-dams across the country to support irrigation agriculture as part of the strategy.
Read more: Kenya Offers 100 Dams to Private Investors in Water Security Initiative
The government has prioritized Egerton University, GalanaKulalu, Bura Irrigation Scheme, Delta Irrigation Scheme, Masinga Farm, Tana Delta Irrigation Project, and Kimabere Farm in Phase 1 of the project.
Further, the government is prioritizing sustainable farming practices to ensure food security and cushion climate change shocks. The PS has echoed that agriculture is hugely vulnerable to climate change, where farmers bear the impact of irregular, insufficient, and unpredictable rainfall patterns. He also stated the importance of soil testing, which would dictate the right fertilizers, thus helping increase yields by up to 150%.
Email your news TIPS to editor@thesharpdaily.com
