Agriculture and Livestock Development CS Andrew Karanja and the Council of Governors, (CoG) have resolved to collaborate to transform the agriculture sector.
Karanja said a meeting between the two levels of government underscored the need to strengthen mechanisms aimed at transforming the agriculture sector in the country to grow the economy and improve farmers’ livelihoods.
He was addressing the media during the closing ceremony of a two-day, high-level consultative meeting between the ministry and COG.
The key agenda items discussed at the forum included the implementation of the Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) on Agriculture and implementation of the subsidised fertiliser programme.
Revitalisation of extension services, strengthening of intergovernmental relations and implementation of projects under the Ministry of Agriculture were also discussed among other issues.
He said following extensive deliberations, they unanimously resolved that the two levels of government will have to hold regular intergovernmental engagements to foster a comprehensive and coordinated approach to transforming the agricultural sector.
The CS said the Intergovernmental Forum for Agriculture (IGF-A) bringing together the larger stakeholders in the agricultural sector, shall be held in February 2025.
“The Ministry and the county governments will actualise the Joint Agricultural Sector Consultation and Cooperation Mechanism (JASCCOM) including institutionalisation and operationalisation of JASCCOM, the joint steering committee for all projects,” he said.
He said they will support the implementation of the feedlot, milk coolers and other feeds programmes in the counties to transform the leather, dairy and red meat industries.
“Additionally, a joint intergovernmental framework is to be developed for the implementation of the feedlot programme,” Karanja said.
Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi, who is also the CoG chairman, said county governments with the collaboration of the Ministry of Agriculture shall ensure the review and integration of the national government’s BETA plan interventions and targets into the County Integrated Development Plans (CIDP) with clear county specific goals and action steps outlined for each county.
Governor Abdullahi said a joint task team will be formed to spearhead the integration of BETA into the CIDP.
He said there is need to prioritise the creation of a national policy on agricultural land subdivision, aimed at curbing excessive subdivision of agricultural land and preserving it for agricultural production and food security.
The county boss said they have collaboratively agreed on reforming the agriculture and livestock inputs subsidy programmes to clearly define the respective roles and responsibilities of the national and county governments, and enhance efficiency and effective service delivery.
“We shall also undertake a comprehensive review of agricultural projects and programmes to ensure equitable distribution across all the 47 counties,” he said.
The ministry is set to collaborate with the respective county governments in the implementation of the milk cooler programme.
“Each county government will continuously identify strategic sites within its jurisdiction for the installation of milk coolers, prioritising areas with high dairy production and significant farmer presence to maximise accessibility and utilisation of the milk coolers,” CS Karanja said.
He said the ministry with the governors will identify and highlight the issues raised during the meeting, particularly the transfer of resources for implementing all devolved functions within the agriculture sector.
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