NALEP Stakeholders Forum in Ndhiwa

The idea that was recently created in Ndhiwa District by  Ministry of Agriculture to have a recognized structure and protocol that can enable all the development workers to reach all the stakeholders of interest through an elected divisional and district farmers representative was a long awaited idea that has just come at the right moment. Through this channel farmers now have a platform of bargaining or soliciting for markets and the needed trainings through this office as a team.
In this stakeholders meeting organized by NALEP, it brought in a number of farmer representatives who had benefited from the previous trainings by NALEP and other major development stakeholders.The farmers aired out the areas that they would like NALEP to major on and create demo's come the third phase of NALEP in July 2011.
They further confirmed that the following projects had picked up well in the region during the past trainings even though some of them had a low production level and were still wanting for us to have surplus that can be used on value addition and large markets:

• Beekeeping - Harvesting gears was a challenge and low levels of production for large markets
• Groundnut production - Low levels for an outside market
• Cotton - Has a high production but poor paying market of market KS 45 per Kg from KS 65
• Dairy goats - Doing very well but hasn't spread to all parts
• Tomatoes - At least more than 5 green houses are present in the region

Finally we both agreed that farmers have to begin embracing the irrigated agriculture ideology as an act of climatic change adaptation. The training has begun in some areas in the district and we are going to ensure that it spreads all over the region.