On Thursday, April 27, 2023 – A team of experts from the Agricultural Cooperative Development International/Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance(ACDI/VOCA) today paid a courtesy call to the CECM for Trade, Industry, MSMEs, Innovation and Cooperatives Rose Mutuku.
ACDI/VOCA is a US-based international non-profit organization that promotes economic opportunities for cooperatives, enterprises and communities through the innovative application of sound business practice.
The team comprised Dr.Gargi Wable Grandner, the ACDI/VOCA Director,for Nutrition and Food Systems, her counterpart for Gender and Agriculture Dr.Nathalie Me-Nsope and Technical Director for Program Quality and partnerships USAID Kenya Livestock Market Systems(LMS) Activity Erustus Kyalo.
They briefed the CECM on the organization’s intentions to partner with the county government in implementing various projects on nutrition, food systems, gender and agricultural production and marketing in the county.
The programs seek to enhance the quality of production in livestock and fisheries alongside value chain addition for various farm produce especially green grams and sorghum.
The scheduled commencement dates for the projects is September 2023 and are expected to run for a period of five years.
CECM Rose Mutuku acknowledged the organization’s commitment to work closely with her ministry noting that the projects will help in strengthening cooperatives whilst enhancing value chain addition aggregation and industrial development in the County.
She further affirmed the county government’s commitment to support ACDI/VOCA’s programs for the benefit of Kitui people.
On the same breath she encouraged farmers to take charge of their own marketing and value addition activities by forming cooperatives in order to shield them from exploitation by unscrupulous middlemen.
She was accompanied by her counterpart for Agriculture & Livestock Development Stephen Mbaya Kimwele who termed the collaboration as crucial in extending support to farmers especially adoption of mechanized harvesting to reduce cost of production and secure ready market for farm produce.
Other senior county officials who attended the meeting were Chief Officer for Trade, Industry, MSMEs and County EIZs Stephen Musili and Fernandes Mbindu, the Director for Industry.
CGoK-Comm. Dept.
