Livestock stakeholders in North Eastern Kenya have welcomed two proposed new policies to address perennial problems facing the region.
Speaking in Garissa County during a stakeholder consultation workshop, organized by the State Department for Livestock Development on Livestock Policy and Veterinary Policy, farmers said the policies will provide a comprehensive framework for addressing longstanding challenges facing the sector and improve the livelihoods of millions of pastoralists.
The department is conducting a public participation to collect views, technical recommendations and proposals for incorporation into Session Paper No. 2 on the Veterinary Policy and Session Paper No. 3 on the Livestock Policy.
If adopted, the policies are expected to strengthen disease control, improve livestock productivity, enhance access to markets and build resilience against the effects of climate change.
The farmers, veterinary officers, livestock experts and other industry players particularly singled out proposals to establish strategic livestock feed reserves, rehabilitate degraded rangelands, strengthen disease surveillance and introduce livestock insurance as critical interventions that could transform livestock production in the arid and semi-arid regions.
Participants said the proposed policy interventions were particularly timely for the region, which continues to grapple with recurrent drought, dwindling pasture and water resources, livestock diseases and limited access to reliable markets.
Abdi Bashir Maalim, from the Department of Livestock in the Wajir County Government, said the proposed establishment of…
