Nairobi – The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN on Friday distributed seeds, farm implements and veterinary drugs to farmers, who are victims of March-May rains that resulted in severe floods.
Gabriel Rugalema, FAO Representative in Kenya, said this at the official launching of the distributions in Kilifi County.
Rugalema said that the agricultural inputs valued about 500,000 dollars would be distributed in Tana River and Kilifi counties in Kenya.
“The money will also be used to repair agricultural infrastructure damage to irrigation schemes, canals, pipes, pumps and irrigation station chambers in Turkana County in East Western Kenya,” he said.
The official noted that FAO had been responding following a rapid stakeholder consultations that was conducted in June in order to technically identify the extent of the problem and determine immediate course of action.
Rugalema said that the damage by the floods along the rivers caused a negative impact on food and nutrition security to majority of farmers.
“The donation is aimed at enabling farmers go back to their farms and start improving their lost sources of income,” he said.
He added that the UN food agency has secured resources to support capacity development in disaster needs assessment.
“We plan to train government officials in a detailed methodology in assessing and quantifying the damages and losses incurred as a result of disasters,” Rugalema said.
The official observed that for Kenya to attain food security there was need to invest in mechanisation of agriculture to be able to produce food for consumption and sale.
The UN official also noted that FAO was keen on the promotion of blue economy, adding that a team of experts has been identified to come on board and help Kenya reap from the sub sector.
According to the National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC), the June floods affected 13 counties where around 800,000 people were directly affected while 186 lives were lost.
The heavy rains also affected road infrastructure while several areas suffered from massive environmental degradation caused by the soil erosion.
(Xinhua/NAN)
