Syngenta launches crop protection centre in Kiambu

A leading agriculture company Syngenta has launched a crop protection centre in Kiambu County, the first of its kind in Kenya to boost food production among farmers.

According to Head of Crop Protection Development Africa and Middle East Albrecht Michel, the centre will offer farmers solutions that have been tried and tested under local conditions through best agronomical practices.

The Crop Protection Development Knowledge Center is a learning and training centre that will bring together the cutting-edge technologies needed by our farmers. It is a demonstration site where we showcase the performance of our innovative solutions in seed, Seed care and crop protection and is open to the public, researchers, farmers, students and government officials to share knowledge on how we can increase our farming productivity and food quality as we navigate an increasingly complex world,” said Mr Michel.

At the same time, the official said that farmers will not be charged anything while visiting the centre.

“We want the farmers to access the best agricultural practices and convert the knowledge to feed the nation,” he said

Syngenta Business Area Head and Managing Director East Africa Fredrick Otieno said the centre will help local farmers cope with climate change as they will be able to adopt new technologies that are emerging like fall armyworms that are becoming a headache to farmers among others.

Climate change

“As problems face farmers, the knowledge they have is not sufficient to have them move into the future with confidence to increase their yield. We have also seen significant incidences of climate change leading to farmers seeking coping mechanisms like changing their cropping patterns and technologies to fight challenges like fall armyworms that are increasingly becoming a bigger problem,” said Mr Otieno.

“This centre in Kiambu will test our technologies under local conditions where the farmers can see real-life examples of how best agricultural practices are undertaken and see the results and adopt the new knowledge and become more resilient with increasing climatic challenges facing many farmers in Kenya,” said Mr Otieno.

Mr Peter Veal, Syngenta Head of Sub-Saharan Africa and Industrial Sales in Africa and the Middle East said the centre will help feed the world via innovations and research.

“Syngenta is one of the world’s leading agriculture companies that is committed to helping improve food security by enabling millions of farmers to sustainably grow safe and nutritious food while taking care of the planet through the innovation of world-class science, technologies, knowledge and services that protect crops and improve seeds,” said Mr Veal.

He added: “We have spent a significant amount of money in research and development to come up with new solutions to address the emerging challenges. Our ambition is to be the most collaborative and trusted team in agriculture, providing leading seeds and crop protection innovations to enhance the prosperity of farmers, wherever they are. We are committed to rescuing land from degradation, enhancing biodiversity and revitalizing rural communities.”

Switzerland Ambassador to Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia and Uganda Valentin Zellweger in a speech read by Trade Officer at the embassy Ms Mahvish Malik said Syngenta will invest in the future of young Kenyans and help farmers improve yields besides helping growers adopt sustainable soil management practices.

“This centre will showcase Kenya’s capacity to contribute to global agricultural innovations,” said the Ambassador.

Kiambu executive in charge of Agriculture, Cooperative and Livestock docket Wilfred Mwenda lauded Syngenta for launching the centre and said it will help the county become food secure.

“Farmers in Kiambu will benefit immensely from improved technologies like seed and crop protection and replicate the knowledge in their farms,” said Mr Mwenda.

A farmer Joseph Ndichu said farmers are struggling with counterfeit seeds and fertilisers due to a lack of knowledge.

“The launch of the centre will address some of these challenges,” said Mr Ndichu.