Furthermore, the project aims to enhance farmer resilience for sustainable livelihoods by promoting technology and innovations in value-addition, agro-processing and marketing, with farmers predominantly benefiting through collective efforts.
Oliver Omega, a farmer in Vihiga, initially cultivated traditional bananas but has transitioned to high-yielding tissue culture bananas, boosting his commercial production.
Buyers now seek out his farm for its high-quality produce, eliminating the need for Omega to actively seek markets.
Buyers have learnt that I have good quality bananas and often come here, he says. Mr Omega has recorded a significant increase in harvests, now selling 10 banana bunches a month compared to just one previously.
Similarly, Mwajumbe Salim, a farmer in Kwale County, has transformed his green gram production into a profitable and resilient agribusiness through innovative technology and management practices introduced by NARIGP in collaboration with Kings Agricultural Services.
Together with the self-help group, Tuwe Imara, they have overcome obstacles and increased yields, inspiring other farmers to build resilience and promote sustainable production despite environmental and economic challenges.
Before NARIGPs intervention, our group faced numerous hurdles in green gram farming, including limited access to quality seeds and mechanisation, he says.
Through the projects collaboration with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation, farmers could access to high-quality, climate-resilient seeds.
Over its five-year duration, the project targeted and supported communities to identify and implement micro-project investments aligned with their value chains to address productivity and marketing challenges.
The approach facilitated a transition from subsistence farming methods to practices that enhance resilience and diversify value chains.
It also encouraged farmers to diversify into alternative livelihoods with a market-oriented support system.
