Agricultural Activities Set To Improve In Weiwei As KVDA Hands Solarized Pumps To The Farmers
By Benson Aswani,
More than 70 families in the Dung Dung area, Weiwei ward, Sigor Constituency, West Pokot County have benefited from solarized irrigation courtesy of the Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA) to aid in farming activities.
Speaking on Monday after handing over the pumps to beneficiaries, the KVDA director Sammy Naporos said that the project aims to strengthen the residents economically.
He said 200 hectares of land are targeted under the irrigation project.
“We have handed over 70 smallholder solarized irrigation pumps to support 70 households in this area. We are looking at an additional 200 hectares to be put under irrigation,” said Mr. Naporos.
Naporos further said that the project will help reduce insecurity cases resulting from cattle rustling in the border areas, as most of the residents will now be relying on farming for their daily income.
“It is also an intervention towards mitigating cattle rustling in this region. The majority of residents have already embraced farming,” he said.
His statements were echoed by the Member of Parliament for Sigor constituency Peter Lochakapong who also said that the project will help in ensuring food security.
Mr. Lochakapong said that the pumps will be a relief to the residents who have been depending on fuel generators which he said are more expensive to run.
“These pumps come as a relief to our people who have been enduring the high cost of fuel to run generators. We now expect agricultural activities to improve as there will be plenty of water for irrigation,” said Mr. Lochakapong.
Led by Samwel Lotulia the beneficiaries praised the program which they said would benefit them economically considering they lost their livestock which was a source of living through banditry.
“We are grateful to the KVDA for considering us. We have lost our livestock which was our only source of living. Now we will embrace crop farming without strains,” said Mr. Lotulia.