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{
    "id": 937917,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/937917/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 65,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Funyula, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr.) Wilberforce Oundo",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13331,
        "legal_name": "Wilberforce Ojiambo Oundo",
        "slug": "wilberforce-ojiambo-oundo-2"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for the opportunity to contribute. I support the Motion by my colleague, Hon. (Dr.) John Mutunga. It is obvious that the mainstay of the Kenyan economy is agriculture. Even though it has been shrinking, it still accounts for over 75 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product of this country. However, the contribution of the agriculture sector could have been much bigger if we had organised our farmers in a system that allows them to maximise production, or a system that allows them to get the highest returns from investment in the agriculture sector. One of the greatest challenges of agricultural production in this country has been the management and organisation of farmers. Ours are small-scale farmers. They are peasants and so they cannot afford all farm inputs. For them to successfully venture into agricultural business, they need adequate support. That adequate support can only come their way in form of organised entities. That way, they will be in a position to access inputs, extension services and even market their produce locally and internationally. We used to have very strong farmers’ associations and very strong co-operative societies that generally supported farmers. The rain started beating us in the late or early 1990s to the extent that the so-called farmers’ associations and co-operative societies are now generally a pale shadow of themselves. Consequently, most farmers are struggling to get farm inputs. Farmers are struggling to get technology transfer. For that reason, production has continuously diminished over the years. I have attended very many forums where the current Principal Secretary for Agriculture, Prof. Boga, has been very vocal that unless we improve our productivity, we are wasting time in the agriculture sector. Food security is one of the key pillars in the Big Four Agenda. Unless we invest in a system that organises farmers to make sure that they undertake the right processes, for example, in crop husbandry, we are not going anywhere. The Big Four The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}