600 Embu farmer groups to benefit from a Sh80 million NARIGP project

Agriculture CECM Anne Nyaga (holding flag) flags off the NARIGP roadshow truck at the Department headquarters in Embu. PHOTO: Martin Fundi

EMBU: Sh80 Million Grants for NARIGP Project

By Jeremiah Mutuanga

600 farmer groups in Embu are set to benefit from a Sh80 million National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project. 

The project lies under the Embu County government's ministry of agriculture. 

County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Anne Nyaga said that the project will benefit farmer groups in 20 wards across the county. 

While addressing the media, Nyaga revealed that more than 50 percent of the targeted groups had already applied for the Agricultural grant. 

 

The CECM speaks at the event venue

“Already 340 groups have done proposals and have been trained on conservation agriculture," she said as she encouraged more groups to apply.

The agriculture minister said that the project encourages and sensitizes youth to take up agribusiness. 

Further, speaking in the same event, County Executive Committee Member for Water, Richard Mbogo called on residents to find ways of harvesting rain water for Agricultural use. 

“There cannot be agriculture without water, the government has constructed water pans so that we can be able to harvest rain water for irrigation and other domestic use," said Mbogo. 

 

Young dancers hired for publicity of dramatize the gains of agribusiness through dance, before the flag off.

NARIGP is a World Bank-funded program that has been rolled out in 20 other counties in the country. 

The Project Development Objective is to increase agriculture productivity and profitability in the region as a way of averting future cases of drought and hunger. 

Earlier this year Governor Martin Wambora launched a Youth in Agribusiness Strategy through the county's ministry of agriculture. 

Speaking during the launch that happened in February 2019, agriculture CEC Anne Nyaga said that the strategy focused on four value chains. 

"The four value chains are dairy cows, indigenous chicken, green grams and mangoes," she said. 

(Edited by Martin Fundi)