BY EDDY NYADWA, Nairobi. Bayer East Africa has committed to support about 200,000 smallholder farmers with improved seeds worth Sh 93 million. Farmers from ten counties will receive hybrid corn and vegetable seeds in a bid to boost food security.
The program dubbed ” Better Farms, Better Lives” also seeks to improve small holder farmers resilience for the future and curbing the effects of covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking during the flagging of the the seeds, Bayer East Africa Managing Director Laurent Perrier noted that the program is part of the company’s commitment to empower farmers.
“We intend to support distressed small holder livelihoods with cross value chain engagement to secure farmers incomes in the aftermath of Corona through increased farming productivity for faster economic recovery”
Also present was the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Prof. Hamadi Boga. He re affirmed government’s commitment to provide an enabling environment for agriculture sector players improve productivity.
“Government will continue to support small holder farmers to ensure they have an ecosystem that supports what they do” PS Boga reiterated.
Bayer has collaborated with Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa AGRA and county governments to distribute 300 metric tones of Bayer’s Dekalb corn seed and Seminis vegetables seeds to counties.
The program will also be extended to smallholder farmers in South Africa, Tanzania, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbambwe and Malawi.
