Climate-smart farming is the way to go, farmers in Ndaragwa advised

People living in the dry Ndaragwa part of Nyandarua have been urged to venture into climate-smart farming to enhance food security.

The residents, who rely on maize and livestock, have gone for two seasons without harvest due to drought that also wiped out livestock leaving families with nutrition stress.

“We don’t have to always grow maize in the drier parts of Ndaragwa. My sorghum and millet crop is thriving in this heat,” said Simon Kanyingi who lives in Karagoini.

Sorghum and millet are said to be vitamins and minerals packed grains that are also rich in fiber and protein.

A resident of Leshau-Pondo, Nyambura Munyua, who is also rooting for climate smart farming said she was exploring the possibility of a village-based flour fortification project in her area to spur sorghum and millet farming.

 There is also a push on the residents to venture into poultry and pomegranate farming that is not affected by climate change and which would help them improve their nutrition.

Pomegranate fruits, which are popularly known locally as kukumanga, fetch good money with a kilo going for Sh700, according to a farmer Daniel Wambugu.

The County, which is ranked high on malnutrition and stunted growth, is frantically fighting to change the situation by engaging local and global institutions involved in fighting the malady.

Last week, Governor Moses Kiarie Badilisha hosted the CARE America vice president in charge of Food and Water Systems Unit, Juan Echanove in his Ol Kalou town office where the County boss lauded CARE Kenya and Swiss-based foundation - Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) for helping Nyandarua to improve nutrition status by enabling the devolved unit to come up with strong and effective policies and legislations on nutrition.

The two organizations have partnered with the County to fight malnutrition through a project called “Catalyzing Strengthened Policy Action for Healthy Diets and Resilience” (CASCADE).

 “We will support all interventions supporting our agenda of improving the welfare of our people. The CASCADE project resonates well with our food security programs that we are undertaking through climate resilience projects and sustainable livelihoods,” the Governor told Echanove.