New Dawn for Kachoda as Proposed Drip Irrigation Gets Completed
From turkana.go.ke
Agriculture County Executive Philip Ebei Aemun yesterday led a team of officers from the department of Irrigation and Land Reclamation for final inspection of the newly constructed 12.5acre Kachoda irrigation scheme in Lapur Ward of Turkana North Sub-County.
Equipping and solarization of a borehole with a yield of 5m3/hr,laying of 16 millimeters drip kits and water reticulation for the community with 3-standpipe water points has been undertaken to ensure that operation at the farm goes uninterrupted.
The farm will employ an integrated model of agro-pastoralism as it has been divided into three sections for horticultural crop production which are meant to boost nutrition security of the targeted households ,development of tree orchard as well as pasture production.
In his opening remarks,CECM Aemun who also distributed seeds to farmers expressed Government’s commitment on training of Irrigation Water Users Association on operation and maintenance of irrigation infrastructure as a long term measure for capacity strengthening of communities for enhanced sustainability of projects once it’s handed over by the Government/Partners.
He emphasized on the need by the farm committee to seriously take charge on running affairs of the Kachoda irrigation scheme that he said would be a economic game-changer in the area because of a ready market for vegetables if effectively managed.
The County Executive assured that the department would continue collaborating with officials from Furrows in the Desert project to train and capacity build them on agriculture and livestock extension services to increase productivity.
Three members from Kachoda have been sponsored by the County Government,and are currently at Lobur mission for training on extension so that they can be become Trainers of Farmers (TOFs) for rest of farmers,once they graduate.
On his part,County Chief Officer for Agriculture and Land Reclamation Jacob Lolelea said that the department had increased efforts to to rehabilitate and improve irrigation infrastructure for crop production to address cases of food insecurity and acute malnutrition,that had also been coupled by recurring droughts.
Also present were County Director for Irrigation and Land Reclamation Lotome Chammah, and a host of Government staff from Turkana North led by Sub-County Administrator James Lobek
