PS Sunkuli
By MN Reporter
The government is committed to ensure implementation of food security, provision of universal health care and affordable housing does not interfere with the efforts of environmental conservation.
Speaking during the launch of the sustainable development programme in Narok-Migori boarder, Masurura village, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Charles Sunkuli said that ensuring food security, affordable housing and health care does not work in isolation without considering environmental conservation.
The PS said the government and other stakeholders are creating awareness among the communities on environmental conservation as an important step towards achieving sustainable development.
He said the government is committed to launch the sustainable development programs at villages like Masurura which is under threat from environmental degradation and boarder conflict zone.
PS however urged the locals to work with the government to work closely with relevant stakeholders who are advocating for food security through value addition of locally produced goods.
The same sentiments were shared by the Chief Executive Officer International Centre for Research in Sustainable Development Vicky Onderi, the convenor of the meeting who appealed to the national government to construct value ddition banana industry in Masurura in a bid to help achieve the president’s big four initiative which will in turn spearhead the economy.
The initiative that is being spearheaded by International Centre for Research in Sustainable Development at Masurura village that has had conflicts between the Kuria and the Maasai community as a result of the cases of cattle rustling will see the villagers engage in bananas, soya beans and sorghum farming to fight food security.
Onderi added that the idea and initiative aims at bringing the communities from both Migori and Narok counties together to help fight food security and also help embrace peaceful coexistence.
“The initiative aimed at making the area food secure by engaging the youths and women groups into meaningful agribusiness activities that will see areas of Masurura, Soit and Kaptowet benefit.
The CEO of International Centre for Research in Sustainable Development Vicky Onderi said that the Maasai community will be taught how to diversify between cattle keeping and also engage in crop farming agribusiness by planting bananas that will be harvested and value addition done to it.
“The aim is to make sure that the communities implement sustainable development and have machine that cam make value additions to the communities,” he said.
The big four programme will make sure that the environmental conservation will be key to the initiative in the making of the value addition in the crop production and also in value addition machine for banana production.
The integrated programme aims at addressing food security, affordable housing, universal healthcare and environmental conservation to help have sustainable development.
The youths and women training on value addition and sustainable development will see the community benefit from research activities from the Kisii University and the United Nations Development Programme [UNDP].
The research activities will also see the machine have value additions on the bananas that will initiate production of processed banana wine that will improve the economic status of the both the Maasai and the Kuria communities.
