Kisii governor Simba Arati has raised concerns over the prolonged use of bad fertilisers and poor agricultural practices, saying it was contributing to low food production.
The governor noted that 60 per cent of land in Kisii county is acidic, a situation he says had affected food production in the county.
Arati revealed plans by his government to allocate funds to buy lime for distribution to farmers in order to reduce the acidity levels in the soil and boost food security, noting that the increasing population and reduced land sizes were forcing farmers to plant food crops throughout the year to sustain their lives, leading to exhausted soil.
“Our soil experts tested soil samples across the county and found out that the soil is acidic. The trend is worrying and we need to sensitise farmers to take measures to reverse it,” Arati said at the Gusii stadium.
Food safety
The governor was speaking during the World Food Day celebration themed ‘Right to Foods for a Better Life and Better Future’
Accompanied by his Deputy Elijah Obebo and Agriculture County Executive Committee (CEC) Member, Elijah Obwori, Arati noted that 70 per cent of households in the county are unable to afford three meals a day due to reduced agricultural food production, a situation he termed as unfortunate.
The county boss blamed poor land policies, land grabbing, corruption and climate change as factors contributing to reduced food production. He instructed that the county must embrace a food safety policy even as they were assisting famers to form cooperative societies which they will use to sell their agricultural produce and boost their incomes and lives.
“Our population is 1.2 million in 308,000 households and is growing steadily. There is a need to diversify our agricultural activities to foster nutrition and food security,” Arati noted.
