By John Kamau
Poultry farmers in Kiambu County are upbeat about increasing their production after an international firm donated farm inputs and training on better practices to improve yields.
The Korean Programme for International Co-operation in Agriculture Technology (KOPIA) has already built a poultry house and stocked it for farmers in Kahero village in Kikuyu constituency as it seeks to spread the project in various parts of the county.
According to the country Director, Dr. Ji Gang Kim, KOPIA is seeking to empower small-scale farmers to embark on modern farming using the latest agricultural technologies, which will help them maximize production.
Speaking while unveiling the poultry farm for Kahero Farmers Group-A, a local farmers’ group comprising women, men, and youth, Dr. Kim quipped that the farmers are benefiting from high-quality chicks, among other farm inputs, as well as training on the latest practices.
The training includes feed production and mixing for improved yields which comes amid high feed prices in the country, a problem that has seen most farmers make little or no profit from their ventures.
The Director noted that farmers have been struggling with low-quality and insufficient feeds hence low productivity and dwindled returns from their farming.
The training will help the farmers generate affordable quality feed recipes for poultry from locally available ingredients with a potential to be a game changer for struggling poultry farmers.
Dr Kim noted that the initiative will see the women and men groups manufacture their own poultry feeds and sell the surplus to local farmers. This, he said, will enable them to eke high proceeds from their farming and feed-making venture.
Kim noted that KOPIA has been training farmers on the need for adoption of modern farming technologies and the commercialization of harvests to increase their incomes.
“We will also be assisting the farmers to integrate their farming with modern and advanced technologies, such as improved hatcheries for better poultry rearing and upgraded crop-farming systems, the farmers’ performance and profitability will be enhanced,” he said.
The Director also pointed out that diseases have also been a major setback for poultry farmers noting that most of the farmers have been equipped with requisite knowledge and skills on how to deal with disease outbreaks and how to prevent them.
“We are also training them on how to deal with poultry diseases for reduced losses. With the training, we hope to equip them with the requisite knowledge and skills that will enable them to produce more, thereby enhancing their proceeds for better livelihoods,” he said.
Dr Kim at the same time urged farmers to seek alternative markets, noting that market accessibility has been a major hiccup for small-scale farmers due to the influx of middlemen in the business.
Kim also revealed that besides introducing current technologies that facilitate enhanced production and offering farmers disease-resistant seedlings, the cooperation further seeks to introduce storage facilities to curb post-harvest losses for potatoes and other crops.
“We want to make a continuous relationship with farmers by contributing towards the development of the local community through introduction of tailor-made agricultural technologies. We intend to help farmers enjoy improved food safety, security and nutrition status,” said Kim.
He noted that KOPIA will partner with the Kiambu County Government as well as other devolved units so as to reach out to many farmers in the region and the country at large.
Farmers led by Joyce Nyaruiru, Karongo Mbugua and Nancy Njeri hailed the project as transformative noting that it will perk up the living standards of most peasant farmers in the region and ensure they eke a living from the farming.
Nyaruiru, the chairperson of Kahero farmers’ group reiterated that with the training they have received and linkages provided by KOPIA with other players in the industry will help improve their production while cutting costs hence an assurance of increased returns.
Mbugua welcomed the training saying that it will turnaround their fortunes as they will be able to cut on production costs. He noted that most farmers have already quit farming due to high cost of production including expensive and low-quality feeds.
“With this training, we are now optimistic of becoming successful breeders and suppliers of improved indigenous chickens, which now fetch good prices in the market,” he said.
Farmer Nancy Njeri said that poultry farming, a crucial venture for their economic sustainability and enhanced food security, should be supported by both the National and county governments so as to improve the livelihoods of small-scale farmers.
The Mount Kenya Times 
John Kariuki