Siaya Farmers Get Sh6.75 Million in Farm Inputs to Boost Maize Production

Three hundred farmers in North Gem Ward, Siaya County, have received farm inputs worth Sh6.75 million in a programme aimed at improving maize production and strengthening household food security.

The initiative, supported by Mentors International Kenya, will provide each beneficiary with inputs sufficient to cultivate one acre of maize. Organizers said the programme targets farmers across all sub-locations in North Gem.

Speaking during the distribution at the Malanga Assistant Chief’s office, Mentors International Kenya Director Erick Onyango said each farmer received five two-kilogram packets of certified maize seed, one bag of planting fertilizer, one bag of top-dressing fertilizer and a liquid fertilizer booster.

The package allocated to each farmer is valued at approximately Sh22,500.

Onyango said the organization expects the farmers to achieve harvests of between 20 and 30 bags of maize from the supported acreages if the inputs are properly used and weather conditions remain favorable.

“This should be sufficient to feed a family and remain with the surplus that can be taken to the market for the family to get money and pay school fees for the children,” he said.

The support comes as farmers in parts of western Kenya continue to face challenges linked to the high cost of certified seed, fertilizer and other farm inputs. For smallholder households, the cost of establishing an acre of maize can limit the amount of land they cultivate or force them to use lower-quality inputs.

Mentors International Kenya official Evans Ojwang’ said the organization has been working with communities to address poverty and food insecurity through agricultural support and capacity building.

“We hold your hand today and next season, we go to another person,” Ojwang’ said, emphasizing the organization’s goal of helping communities become self-reliant rather than depending on continued external assistance.

The programme has also reached farmers at the sub-location level. Malunga Sub-location Assistant Chief Millicent Auma Otieno said 66 farmers in her area had benefited from the initiative.

“We are happy with this programme. It is helping us eradicate food insecurity,” she said, while encouraging other organizations to support farmers in the area.

The beneficiaries said they were ready to apply the farming skills and training received from the organization alongside the supplied inputs to improve production.

Farmers welcomed the support, saying access to certified seed and fertilizer would give them an opportunity to increase yields and produce enough food for their households.

The initiative is expected to provide farmers with both production inputs and an opportunity to generate surplus for sale, potentially improving household incomes while strengthening food availability in North Gem.