“Gone are the days when farming was a preserve for the illiterate in the society,” says Margaret Amimo, the 2013 winner of the Women in Agriculture Farmer’s Award.
Margaret says that most people give up after trying one activity in farming and if it fails, they take a bow. “If you are a farmer regardless of your age, nurture the farming discipline and if you meet challenges on the way get an alternative instead of giving up,” she adds.
The retired teacher who has been tilling the land in Vihiga County has met challenges on the way but this has not deterred her dream of contributing to Kenya’s food basket. She trounced two other women to take home the award and couldn’t hide her joy, lauding Elgon Kenya, an agriculture inputs behemoth which has partnered with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries to celebrate the country’s unsung heroes who have surmounted odds to provide food for millions and grease the economy.
The National Farmers Awards ceremony was presided over by Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Cecily Kariuki who urged farmers to come together and share innovation that could be key to unlocking the potential of Kenyan farms and eventually help in eradicating food insecurity in the country.
“As a ministry we welcome farmers to help improve food security in the country by coming up with viable ideas that the ministry can nurture,” she said, urging farmers to take advantage of the triple subsidy on fertilizers to improve yields.
The award scheme was launched last year, replacing the Presidential Farmers’ Competitions Award Scheme. The 2014 ceremony saw inclusion of 2 more categories from the 5 ones recognised in 2013. The youth and women in agriculture categories were included in 2014 after recommendations from the ministry.
“Our plan is to keep on improving the awards every year and bring all farmers on board, to help bolster farming in the country and I am glad that the recommendations of the ministry have been incorporated in this year’s scheme,” remarked the PS.
“Our aim is to appreciate farmers who have contributed immensely to the food security in our country,” noted Bimal Kantaria, Elgon Kenya Director. “It’s good to recognise their work and motivate them and others to work hard and take farming as a serious business venture.”
The criteria used to award the farmers entails submission of forms to the Ministry which uses its experts to look at their contribution to the food basket in the country. “The farmers who have gone an extra mile in terms of environmental protection, climate change mitigation and other aspects related to farming are recognised,” notes Nelson Maina, Elgon Kenya’s communication manager.
The youth and women winners were awarded certificates and trophies in October by President Uhuru Kenyatta during the Nairobi Trade Fair. The other winners were awarded with trophies, certificates and vouchers to use them in securing farm inputs from rom Elgon Kenya.
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