Nakuru, Kenya. October 3, 2024 – With USAID funding through the Economic Recovery and Reform Activity (USAID-ERRA) at TradeMark Africa (TMA), the Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC), in partnership with Nakuru County Government, TMA and Danish Industries hosted the Central Rift Region Agribusiness Expo on October 3, 2024, at KALRO Njoro grounds.
The Expo, themed ‘Climate Smart Technologies and Practices for Sustainable Food Systems,’ was headlined by CECM of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives Mr. Leonard Bor. Over 40 industry players, 1500 farmers and stakeholders from the region engaged at crop and livestock demonstration units, targeted B2B meetings, tailored farmer training sessions, and stalls exhibiting high-tech and innovative machines. The hands-on training sessions in good agricultural practices and business management aimed to help farmers optimize their land use, improve crop yields, and embrace climate-smart technologies, all contributing to sustainable food systems.
In his keynote address, Mr. Leonard Bor highlighted the fact that Nakuru’s County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) 2023-2027 gives top priority to agricultural development, promotion of sustainable agricultural practices, support to smallholder farmers, and creation of value addition opportunities to ensure food security and boost the agro-based economy. She also expressed the county’s readiness to collaborate with EAGC in areas such as produce aggregation, post-harvest management, capacity building, and training of our farmer-based cooperatives, as well as expanding the market for premium quality produce.
In his remarks, EAGC Executive Director Mr. Gerald Masila invited Nakuru County to partner with the Council in rolling out capacity building programs for farmer cooperatives focused on group dynamics, cooperative leadership and governance, business management skills, on-farm grain management, warehouse construction, operation and management, grain aggregation, good grain storage practices and financial management and accounting. As a result, he pointed out, farmers grain produce would attract premium prices from the EAGC G-Soko online trading platform which expands the trading environment beyond Kenya.
On the back of three successful expos earlier in the year in Tharaka Nithi, Machakos and Kwale, the Central Region event demonstrated a profound commitment to advancing the agricultural sector. The vibrant engagement and climate smart solutions by Scales & Software Limited, Cosmos, Advanta Seeds, ICIPE, and Grain Pro Kenya Ltd not only celebrated past achievements, but also laid the foundation for future initiatives and partnerships, all dedicated to advancing agricultural production and food security.
