Kiambu County Agriculture officer has urged farmers in the area to diversify their farming to boost food security in the area.
Speaking from her office on Monday, Jane Muigai said overreliance on maize farming was disappointing many farmers due to the outbreak of the Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease (MLND) that leads to poor maize production.
She said that other than the dreaded disease, depletion of soil nutrients is evident when one type of crop is cultivated for long resulting in poor yields.
The agricultural officer pointed out that farmers must start practicing crop rotation to retain enough nutrients in the soil.
“Farmers should embrace other food crops like beans, peas and potato to boost food security since if one type of food crop fails to produce as expected, it can be easily supplemented by another food crop that has a similar nutritional value,” she said.
She discouraged those farmers who are changing their use of land from agriculture into putting up commercial and residential buildings terming it as ill informed since one can still get money through the sale of farm produce.
The officer, however, said despite diversifying, farmers should not stop planting maize completely since it is a staple food for most families in Kenya.
The MLN disease has left many farmers counting losses and the farmers are now seeking alternative ways of boosting food production.