Waiguru: How ‘Wezesha Kirinyaga’ is rewriting the story of smallholder farmers

“Wezesha Kirinyaga,” an economic empowerment program is rewriting the story of smallholder farmers into an engine of growth that has increased earnings and lifted families out of poverty.

The initiative by Governor Anne Waiguru has supported more than 100,000 households engaged in multiple agricultural value chains to increase production and market their produce.

The farmers have been funded by the County Government to the tune of Sh. 540 million to venture into tomato, rice, dairy, poultry, coffee, avocado, apiculture, aquaculture, goat and pig farming among others.

“When we launched Wezesha Kirinyaga, our goal was simple to make farming profitable again. Today, our farmers are organized, productive, and earning more than ever before. Agriculture has become the heartbeat of our local economy,” Waiguru said.

Started in 2020, the program has funded 804 farmers’ groups with Sh.253 million and an additional 19 Farmers’ Producer Organisations, with Sh.266 million to strengthen production and marketing of farm produce.

Governor Waiguru said her administration has also pumped in Sh.21 million for establishment of 20 multi–value chain Savings and Credit Cooperative Organization (SACCOs) in every ward to enhance access to affordable credit and markets. The money has been used in supporting the cooperatives to setup offices, farmer’s mobilization and financial services.

Speaking during the 2025 State of the County Address at the Kirinyaga County Assembly, Waiguru said the empowerment program has helped increased farmers earnings.

She said such initiatives have partly contributed to the reduction in of county poverty index, which has dropped from 23% to 21%, lifting approximately 52,000 households out of poverty.

“Our farmers are no longer farming for survival, they are farming for profit,” she emphasized. “The results are visible in every ward, every cooperative, and every household that has benefited from Wezesha Kirinyaga.”

The Governor said the County economic growth rate now stands at 5.4%, surpassing the national average of 4.9%.

Further, she said the Gross County Product has increased from Sh.114.9 billion in 2017 to Sh190.79 billion in 2024, injecting significant liquidity into the local economy.

She underscored the remarkable growth in rice production, which has more than doubled from 90,000 metric tons to 210,000 metric tonnes annually, generating over Sh.15 billion.

On coffee, the Governor said farmers are now receiving payout of up to Ksh.148 per kilo, which she termed as “the highest payout in the country.” She attributed the improvement to the county’s support in cooperative management and direct marketing that ensures farmers reap maximum value from their produce.

She said through the County Government’s support, tomato production had surged from 46,000 to 116,000 tonnes, earning local farmers about Ksh.6.9 billion annually. She pointed out that modern pest management, improved seed varieties, and better market coordination had reduced losses and boosted profits.

The dairy sector, she added, had experienced a similar boom. Average milk yields per cow had grown from 2.5 litres to 7 litres daily, translating to Sh.3.1 billion in annual income. Waiguru said the rise was a direct result of county-led interventions such as provision of subsidized artificial insemination services, subsidized animal feeds and fertilizer and milk cooling equipment for cooperatives.

Avocado production, she said, had also become a key income source for farmers, currently standing at 15,000 metric tonnes valued at Ksh.300 million, with ongoing expansion expected to push output to 21,000 tonnes in the coming year.

“Our farmers have embraced avocado farming as the new green gold,” Waiguru said. “We are supporting them with certified seedlings and linking them to export markets so they can fully benefit from the global demand.”

She added that the County will continue investing in supporting smallholder farmers in value addition, post-harvest handling, and access to stable markets to protect farmers from price fluctuations and middlemen exploitation.

“Our next phase is about sustainability ensuring every farmer continues to grow their income and every village becomes part of the agricultural success story,” she said.