The Embu County Government has started training supervisors and enumerators for the new registration of farmers for subsidised fertiliser, slated to start in early September.
Agriculture CEC John Nyaga said 47 supervisors and 322 enumerators had been picked for the month-long exercise, where they project to register 120, 000 farmers.
Speaking on Tuesday in Embu Town while opening the three-day training for supervisors who will thereafter train the enumerators, Nyaga said it was important to bring them up to speed with what is expected of them during data collection.
He said that by doing so, the government will be in a position to better understand the needs and challenges faced by farmers in a bid to assist them in making sound decisions aimed at boosting production and incomes.
The CEC said the registration will not only help in the distribution of subsidised fertiliser but also help shape agricultural policies.
‘It is through the same database and platform that farmers will receive information on techniques to apply on their farms and available markers,’ he said.
He said the county will also formulate an exchange portal to get feedback from farmers and assist them in offering solutions to them remotely as a government.
County Commissioner Jack Obuo, who was also present, said the national administration will work closely with the county government in the identification and mobilisation of farmers.
He said every enumerator will be assigned a village elder who will assist in the identification of homesteads since the exercise takes the form of a door-to-door campaign to ensure each and every farmer is captured.
‘It is important that each farmer is mapped and placed in the electronic system so as to easily link them to processors, market outlets, and other players in the sector near them,’ he said.
He also asked farmers to give correct information to ensure the success of the programme.

Source: Kenya News Agency