By MKT Reporters
Worth Noting:
- Mr John King’ori, the Pioneer CDP Executive Director who hosted the teams took farmers through various issues that they need to critically look at so as to benefit more in their farming activities, as effects of climate change continue to the world.
- These include harvesting water, planting trees and adopting new farming techniques and farm management.
A Non-Governmental Organisation has launched a special project aimed at animal nutrition and dairy farming.
The organisation; Pioneer Child Development Programme was joined by several other stakeholders in kick-starting the initiative which is based on impacts of climate during the ceremony that was held at Karikor area of Kieni East Sub-County in Nyeri County.
The project, dubbed, “Lishe Bora na Mama Silage” will see farmers in the area trained on several areas like; how to prepare sillage from different crops, how to properly store the sillage to avoid contamination and where to get the tools needed for sillage making.
Some of the partners include ChildFund, Hand-In-Hand Eastern Africa and DOW Chemicals. During yesterday’s event, several other organisations which indirectly deals with stakeholders in dairy farming like Nanyuki town headquartered Unison Sacco which was represented by among others their Naromoru Branch Manager Ms Elizabeth Mureithi who explained several financial products that they offer customers, more so farmers.
Others were biogas experts; SISTEMIA.bio whose sales representative Fredrick Ndumia took the guests through what it takes to have the biogas installed.
Mr John King’ori, the Pioneer CDP Executive Director who hosted the teams took farmers through various issues that they need to critically look at so as to benefit more in their farming activities, as effects of climate change continue to the world.
These include harvesting water, planting trees and adopting new farming techniques and farm management.
Child Fund officials; Steve Omware and Caroline Ngonge also took the farmers through benefits adopting and adapting the new trends in farming saying it was the only sure way of being able to address various economic and social challenges facing many Kenyans.
The farmers were informed of how climate change has negatively impacted on farmers with shortage of feed resources, and reducing feed and fodder quality whose net effect is ruminants growth, milk production, reproduction, metabolic activity, disease occurrence and control.
King’ori told the gathering that his organisation and other stakeholders promote efficient production systems, to reduce feed and fodder loss, appropriate technology adoption including of re-usable Mama Silage bags as well as proper manure management and use with the aim of reducing carbon footprint for sustainable dairy industry.
Further, the farmers were informed that Pioneer CDP aims to achieve climate smart feed production, increased feed digestibility, enhanced manure storage, treatment and use, appropriate supplementation, shrink the carbon footprint and inspire and empower farmer champions to become agents of change amongst their colleagues.
For the farmers to rip maximum benefits in dairy farming, Pioneer CDP plans to train them on sustainable production systems.
This will be through adoption of different plant varieties including legumes, mixed forages, alternate forages, and by-products in sillage making so as to improve the quality of feeds for better animal health and production. They will also initiate climate smart approach to fixing soil nitrogen thus, improving soil health for regeneration.
The Chief Guest, Nyeri County Senior Livestock Production Officer David Githieya noted that the new initiative that he launched would improve the economic welfare of farmers.
Githieya who represented the County MCEC in charge of Agriculture, Livestock and Aquaculture James Wachihi also presented different gifts from various stakeholders to dozens of farmers.
