NAVCDP Takes Over KCSAP Projects In Taita

Taita Taveta County’s agricultural sector is set for a boost as the existing Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP) will now be replaced by the National Agriculture Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP) in a five-year plan that will see the impact felt across 20 wards. The announcement was made by KCSAP’s component 1 lead coordinator, Mr. James Singi, during a departmental stakeholder meeting for value chain selection held in Voi town, where he urged the county’s leadership to accord the new initiative support to achieve its intended goals. ‘As we say goodbye to KCSAP, I urge the county leadership to embrace NAVCDP and accord support to ensure that we hit our targets in the next five years,’ said Singi. ‘KCSAP laid a firm foundation for the next phase by instilling resilience among subsistence farmers through the distribution of high-quality seeds for drought-resistant crops, training farmers in the best farming practises, and scaling up household farming activities into commercially viable revenue generators. As it exits the stage, KCSAP leaves a well-informed base of grassroots farmers who are not only aware of the impact of climate change but have also been empowered to adapt to changes, and most importantly, ditch native crop farming practises and embrace high-value crop farming to tap into local, national, and global markets,’ he added. NAVCDP, according to Singi, will target five value-added sub-sectors, including Dairy, Irish Potato, Poultry, Green gramme, and banana, which have the potential to be scaled up and are adaptable to the county’s climatic conditions. In these sub-sectors, NAVCDP will be looking to build producer capacity for climate-resilient, stronger value chains, climate-smart value chain ecosystem investments, piloting climate-smart, safer urban food systems, and overseeing project coordination and management. Welcoming NAVCDP to the region, County Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Irrigation Executive Committee Member Erickson Kyongo said there was political goodwill to support the initiative and ensure the project achieves targeted goals. ‘Our county leadership is ready to support this project throughout its entire lifecycle as it aims to support better agriculture production methods and open up markets for value-added goods from locals,’ said Kyongo. To succeed, NAVCDP will draw its funding from the International Development Association (IDA), and the national and county governments in a partnership that continues to bear fruit in capacity building among smallholder farmers across the county.

Source: Kenya News Agency