Lodwar, April 16, 2026 (Public Communications and Media Relations)

The County Government, in partnership with the Food System Resilience Project (FSRP), has concluded a two-day workshop aimed at validating key value chain development strategies.

The multistakeholders event, is aimed to review and refine strategies essential for enhancing agricultural productivity in Turkana.

The workshop focused on several priority areas, including the sorghum,Cowpeas, groundnuts, red meat,leather, apiculture, fish and aquaculture value chains. Participants were sensitized on FSRP’s key focus areas and engaged in discussions to revitalize stakeholder platforms.

The County Chief Officer for Agriculture and Land Reclamation, David Maraka highlighted the critical role of stakeholders commitment in enhancing programs that assist communities in adapting to climate change.

“The implementation of this strategy will enhance food production and ultimately improve the livelihoods of our farmers across the priority value chains in the region,” Maraka stated.

The County Chief Officer for Livestock Production and Aquaculture, Peter Ikaru expressed gratitude to the County’s panel of experts and development partners for their dedication to establishing the value chain development strategy.

“This is a long-term plan to diversify our livelihoods by addressing challenges faced by our people across agricultural value chains, including productivity, quality of animals, and access to markets,” Ikaru remarked.

Ambrose Ngetich, a representative from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), highlighted the significance of the workshop in light of the ongoing Creating Shared Value with Young People in the Livestock Sector (CASHA) project.
“This five-year initiative, in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation and other development partners, aims to engage 300,000 young people in livestock and agri-food value chains in Turkana County,” Ngetich said.

Key participants in the workshop included experts from the County Government, development partners, input suppliers, financial service providers, regulatory bodies, research institutions, and local farmers.

The workshop served as a vital platform for incorporating feedback from stakeholders, ensuring that the strategies developed are aligned with the realities faced by smallholder farmers.

The attendees included, Dr. Benson Longor (Director of Veterinary Services), Bobby Lokadon (Director of Livestock Production) ,Erenius Nakadio(Deputy Director of Veterinary Services), Josphine Emase(Deputy Director of Livestock Production), John Bett (Acting Deputy Director, Fisheries), Simon Atot (FSRP, Value Chain Development Component Lead), David Naita(FSRP, Financial inclusion and creditworthiness of crop and livestock farmers component lead) Mark Gitau( Co-op Bank)

Development partners included but limited to WFP, FAO, world vision international, ADRA, TUPADO, NDMA, International Trade Centre, KALRO,Lodwar TVET, Kenya fisheries Service, Blue Economy, Sapcone, DOL, FolT, Concern world wide, WHH, Cooperative Bank, Green Forest, KLPA,
Creavational International/Juncao, The hive limited, silo and Sayun Agrovet.