Presidential aspirant talks to farmers

Presidential Aspirant Martha Karua urged farmers to practice investment and innovation in farming practices to generate increased food security for the country. The aspirant that had launched Food Security as one of her Six Policy Pillars in her bid for the presidency seat said that the Government should protect the farmers from inflation and losses caused by weather changes to ensure that there is minimum wastage and increased production. The Gichugu MP added that Kenya has failed to reach its desired potential as a world agriculture producer because of high costs on farm inputs and climate change. “The effects of climate change demand that we shift from our dependence on rain-fed agriculture, as it is unsustainable. We need to change our practices,” Ms Karua said. Ms Karua urged the farmers of Trans Nzoia County to focus on the export market to get better returns and asked stake holders to provide sustainable market-based solutions in order to attract more people into investing in agriculture. The Aspirant that toured Kachibora, Sibanga, Moi’s Bridge, MaliSaba among other places in the county said that Kenya needs to compete with the world’s top producers of agricultural and food commodities, to achieve its greatest potential as a leading agriculture producing nation. “The United States of America, France and Netherlands remain top exporters of agricultural produce. We must borrow their best practices and benchmark with them or else we will become more food insecure as our population grows,” Ms Karua said. The Narc-Kenya leader that is also set to take her campaigns to Turkana and Pokot counties this week said that she seeks to ensure access to quality food and nutrition for all Kenyans. The Aspirant concluded by stating that her campaign was of discussing issues and solutions for Kenyans and not of dishing out cash.