Vihiga County has commissioned 148 newly recruited and trained agripreneurs who will be working under the National Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP).
Speaking while presiding over the ceremony conducted at the county headquarters, Governor Dr. Wilber Ottichilo said they are going to work under the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries for the next 18 months.
Dr. Ottichilo explained that their work would involve registration and profiling farming households as well as non-household farms, including large, commercial, institutional, greenhouse, and ranch operations.
“The other tasks of the agripreneurs would be profiling the various value chain actors, mapping and taking the Global Positioning System (GPS) of the agricultural farms in their wards, as well as offering training and extension services to the farmers,” he said.
The county head stated that the recruitment of the agripreneurs is a great milestone in transforming the county’s agricultural sector from subsistence to commercial.
He pointed out that in response to the adverse effects of climate change on agricultural activities, farmers need to practice climate-smart agriculture and reduce dependence on rain-fed farming for assured sustainability and good yields.
Five motorbikes were also commissioned to aid with extension services in the five wards that were not part of the first phase of the project.
By Sammy Mwibanda