Farmers in Taita Taveta County are being trained on modern farming techniques in a program aimed at reducing food insecurity in the region.
The Feed the Future Program by USAID and the Taita Taveta County government focuses on improving the agricultural productivity of the county to boost the living standards of residents.
Taita-Taveta County is considered a food basket for the coast region.
However, the County faces challenges of low productivity due to harsh weather conditions coupled with poor farming and marketing methods resulting into huge losses.
To this end, the county government of Taita Taveta has partnered with USAID to train farmers and service providers on modern farming techniques.
The Feed the Future initiative which has been rolled out in 12 counties is meant to improve agricultural productivity in the area with the aim of uplifting the living standards of residents.
Through the program small scale farmers will be linked to markets to ensure they get better prices for their produce.
The initiative will also focus on working with agro input dealers to ensure farmers are not subjected to counterfeit or substandard products.
Among the priority value chain crops that the program will focus on are dairy production, fodder, sweet potatoes, passion fruits, banana, pineapple, Avocado and Mango.
Other counties to benefit from the program include Kitui, Makueni, Homabay, Migori, Kisii, Vihiga.