Makueni farmers rue stalled projects as harvests dwindle
Joel Wambua leans forlornly against his mud and wattle hut in Kevanda village in Makueni County, his eyes fixed on a section of his farm where gusts of wind easily sweep away dry maize stalks.
EALA ATNR Committee to meet with stakeholders over consultations on the Agriculture budgets 2019/2020
The Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources (ATNR)Committee in collaboration with stakeholders is organizing stakeholders
State urged to allocate more funds to dairy sector.
Kenya Small Scale Farmers Forum (KSSFF) county project coordinator Christine Kakuu proposed an increment of funds to the agricultural sector, saying the allocation will help farmers address the country
East Africa Farmers wants more funds for Agriculture
Agriculture is the major economic activity in the East African Region. On 20th October 2016, Member of Parliament of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) took a proactive role as the regional parliament to push for the EAC region to ensure the Malabo Declaration domestication for ensured realization of it 7 commitments including allocation of at least 10% of annual national budgets to agriculture. This bold and strong resolution by EALA was highly hailed by small-scale farmers to urge EAC Member States to domesticate the Malabo and speedily implement it before 2025.
Small scale farmers under the aegis of the East and Southern Africa Small Scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF) are set to petition the EAC Heads of State to galvanize for increased financing for agricultural sector in the EAC region to ensure food security, reduce poverty and increase public awareness on the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). The officials of the ESAFF paid a courtesy call on Rt Hon Ngoga Karoli Martin, Speaker of EALA, in Arusha and made a plea for the petition, when ready, to be forwarded for the attention of the Summit of EAC Heads of State.
Rt Hon Ngoga assured the ESAFF officials of the Assembly
East Africa: Give Agriculture 10% of National Budgets
Small scale farmers are demanding East African Community States to make a legal requirement to allocate and disburse 10 percent of national budgets to agricultural sector as required by the Malabo Declaration.
The Malabo Biennial Report 2017 released in January 2018 indicates that only Rwanda had the highest score in the continent of 6.1 against 10 points, while Kenya had 4.8, Burundi 4.7, Uganda 4.4, Tanzania 3.1 and South Sudan did not submit.
In a meeting held in Nairobi, small scale farmers cried foul on National agricultural budget allocations.