Farmers in Narok county have been asked to insure their livestock and crops against diseases and weather fluctuation to cushion them against huge loses.

Speaking during a farmers' training in Mulot yesterday, Agriculture executive Richard Birir said insurance will cushion farmers against losses that occur when crops fail due to poor weather or livestock are killed by diseases or drought.

He said the government had started livestock insurance on a pilot basis. Birir said the project will compensate a number of farmers who took the insurance cover. He asked farmers to invest in weather forecasting as this will help them plan their agricultural activities and avoid loses.

Birir said that 90 per cent of farmers in the county depend on rain instead of harvesting and storing water for use during the dry season. "Rainy seasons should not be planting time but instead water harvesting time. The water can be used later to irrigate our farms during drought," he said.

The executive asked farmers to work with weather forecasting specialists who will set up stations in each ward to improve the accuracy of weather predictions. The long rains that were expected in March and April failed and this is likely to affect maize farming in Narok South.

Source - http://allafrica.com/