KALRO empowers Embu agripreneurs with soil mapping skills

Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO), in collaboration with the County Government of Embu, has trained over 60 young agripreneurs on Digital Soil Mapping to inform policies on improvement of soil texture.

The County Government of Embu plans to train seven agripreneurs in each of the 20 wards across the county, making a total of 140 who will be working directly with farmers in providing critical extension support to enhance productivity and sustainable agricultural practices.

The training is part of the government’s national programme on soil sampling and testing across 45 counties apart from Nairobi and Mombasa that is set to revolutionize agriculture.

The information is expected to assist policy makers and farmers in making informed decisions on how to treat soil to reduce degradation and increase crop productivity.

KALRO Researcher Peterson Njeru said the information will help policymakers come up with tailored recommendations on the right fertilisers for farmers to use in a bid to improve soil health.

Speaking in Embu on Tuesday during one-day training of 40 agripreneurs, Njeru said the programme will inform the government on the fertilisers to procure under the subsidy program as per different ecological zones.

He said continued use of chemical fertiliser has negatively impacted soil texture, leading to soil acidification and reduced fertility that has affected productivity.

“This programme will assist farmers in identifying nutrient deficiencies in their soils and then choose appropriate fertiliser to bolster agricultural productivity in rural areas,” he said.

He said the trained personnel will also be issued the right tools for the task as they visit farms collecting samples that will be submitted to KALRO for further analysis.

Njeru said the exercise that will see 77,000 soil samples collected across the county and analysed is expected to wind up by March, and the results and recommendations forwarded to the government for action.

By Samuel Waititu