Some 1,000 households from both refugee and host community have benefited from training on poultry production and management, disease control and treatment among others.
Each registered household received six one-month old chicks, poultry equipment and starter poultry feeds from a project that is funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization.
The objective of Sh7 million fund support from FAO is to improve food and nutrition security of both vulnerable refugees and host community in Turkana West Sub-County.
Other activities undertaken included purchase of 5,000 improved local indigenous chicks from Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research (KALRO) as well as training of 56 Community Based livestock facilitators who provide frontline extension messages under supervision of livestock and veterinary department.
County Executive for Agriculture, Pastoral Economy and Fisheries George Emoru on Tuesday led a team from the department to inspect and witness poultry equipment and feeds that were recently procured by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
FAO through the funds purchased and delivered assorted veterinary drugs, growers mash feed, essential protective vaccines and poultry production equipment to the targeted beneficiaries.
While meeting the FAO team, Emoru said the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) had been modeled to suit partners programmes and for resource mobilization for all stakeholders involved in different activities in Turkana
He challenged officers to take a lead in advocating for livelihood diversification to enable wananchi suit and benefit from the different livelihood projects like poultry farming that are being championed by the government and other private stakeholders.
County Chief Officer Abdulahi Yusuf said the only way of venturing into the competitive international livestock market was enhanced disease control while Acting Director for Livestock Production Bobby Ekadon called on the trained community based facilitators to share the same skills with other members.
Also present were Livestock Deputy Director Ernest Anzenze and Dr. Job Rono as well as Mr. Francis Anoo from FAO.
