More than 120 farmers in Kwa Vonza town will now venture into commercial farming of onions in the next few months, breaking away from their traditional farming of food crops. It is anticipated that the farmers will reap big in the economic venture following the rehabilitation of the area courtesy of the National Council of Churches of Kenya. Using the famous Zai Pit technology, the farmers will be expected to start growing the crop by November this year.
NCCK’s Programmes Officer for Economic Empowerment Stephen Kimani told Jumuia news that they have identified 10 farmers who will develop and manage seeds for the farmers. He said that the 10 will also be required to distribute farm inputs to the farmers. The technology commonly known as ‘Zai Pit’, was introduced in the area 2 years ago, as part of mitigation efforts against perennial food insecurity in the area due to unreliable weather patterns.
Last year, the farmers in Kwa Vonza recorded a bumper harvest after many years of food scarcity. Zai-Pit technology is a sustainable agriculture and food security technology which is widely practiced in sahel west Africa, a densely populated semi-arid region bordering the Sahara desert. The technology has been the missing link in Kenya’s endeavor to achieve sustainable agriculture and food security for all.
