Kakamega County will collaborate with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to explore investment options in high-value crops that can be industrialised in a bid to diversify from its overreliance on sugarcane farming.
Kakamega County Investment and Development Agency (KCIDA) Chief Executive Officer, Elizabeth Asichi, said JICA, which is a development partner with KCIDA, is prioritising avocado, sunflower and upland rice as commercial crops to focus on.
She said with Kakamega county receiving high rainfall, the three crops will do well, with hopes that the investment will transform the lives of local residents.
Asichi said sunflower would mainly work out well because it can be harvested three times a year and can be used to make cooking oil while the sunflower oil cake can be used to feed livestock.
“Our main agenda in the coming years is to industrialise Kakamega county and try to separate our overreliance on sugarcane. We have very good rainfall, sunflowers can be grown three times a year,” she said.
At the same time, farmers in the county are set to benefit from new crops introduced by an international energy company through contract farming. Kakamega is one of the counties targeted in the programme.
The company, Eni, is looking to build the capacity of farmers to grow caster crops and produce croton plants to be used for energy purposes.
According to the company, the caster and croton crops do not compete with traditional food and cash cultivations thereby presenting new business opportunities to farmers.
“It also aims to diversify the farmers’ income sources while promoting a climate-smart farming system, especially in marginal areas,” the company said.
Caster crops and croton seeds according to Eni have a high tolerance to drought and salt stress.
The company notes that the initiative fits in with its collaboration with the Government of Kenya to support energy transition through the implementation of integrated circular economy projects.
Source: MY Gov