Our Mandate Agriculture, crop and animal husbandry;Livestock sale yards; County abattoirs; plant and animal disease control; Fisheries, Veterinary services (excluding regulation of the profession), Storm water management systems inbuilt-up areas; water and sanitation services. Animal control and welfare, including—licensing of dogs; and facilities for the accommodation, care and burial of animals..

Mandate 

• Agriculture, crop and animal husbandry; 
• Livestock sale yards 
• County abattoirs; plant and animal disease control 
• Fisheries 
• Veterinary services (excluding regulation of the profession) 
• Storm water management systems inbuilt-up areas; water and sanitation services. 
• Animal control and welfare, including—licensing of dogs; and facilities for the accommodation, care and burial of animals.

Policies formulated for service delivery 

1. County policy on the provision of water and sanitation 
2. Strategic plan on water and sanitation 

Bills and Acts enacted for effective service delivery of the sector 

The water sector has adopted the water act of 2002. 

 Public awareness and participation in the sector 

Public participation is done during;  

• Dissemination of information to the public through the department of information and public communication 
• Planning and budgeting
• Allocation of projects and programmes
•  Implementation stage of projects 
• Public awareness is done through stakeholder meetings and community sensitization public meetings at ward levels (public Baraza) 
• Selection of beneficiaries in done through public meetings conducted by stakeholders. 

 Internal audit control measures 

1. Every programme/ projects has an in-built monitoring and evaluation system 
2. To ensure accountability and effective delivery of services, performance contracting and appraisal system 
3. Funds are sourced using activity based 
4. The County has established Monitoring and evaluation department to ascertain the value of money for all projects, programmes and policies implemented. 

 Ensuring equal equitable distribution of resources 

• Sharing of projects based thematic areas and the available options among the 40 wards 
• Equalization through the ward development funds to address the imbalance 
• Targeting disadvantage areas for intervention. 
• Assessment and response based on need analysis

Each benefiting farmer was given planting fertilizer, topdressing fertilizer and a pack of seed worth planting one acre .worth planting one acre. 

 FIAP has supported a total of 8000 farmers to attain food security and have surplus for sale. The average yield of maize has increase from an average of 6 bags to 15 bags per acre. The retail price of maize in the local market has stabilized from an extreme range of between KSh. 40 at harvest and KSh. 130 three months later to between KSh. 60 and KSh. 80 during the same periods.

When counties were formed the rice acreage was 150 acres and only confined to Awendo Sub-County. Currently the acreage has risen to 1,972 acres spread across all the eight Sub-Counties and has a fast-growing trend.  

• Procured and supplied 802,000 fish fingerlings to fish farmers in Migori. 
• A total of 802 ponds were stocked with fish. 
• Procured and supplied a total of 1535 bags of fish feeds to fish farmers in Migori County

Right: CECM for Agric. Livestock & Fisheries assessing some of the fingerlings before distribution to farmers in Opapo Rongo sub-county

Future Aquaculture plans 

• Support existing farmers to produce 5 million quality fingerlings in the near future.

Planned activities in aquaculture 

• Support fish farmers to construct 1500 new fish ponds by the year 2017. 
• Support fish Farmers in Rongo and Uriri with simple feed pelletizing machines to produce 40 tonnes of fish feeds per year by 2017.
•  Construction of a Fisheries (Aquaculture) research and training centre in the County 
• Enhance farmed fish production to sustainably supply the mini fish processing plant at Rongo 
• Construct a Fish Hatchery in the County for sustainable supply of quality fingerlings

Future Plans in Capture Fisheries

•  Construction of 10 modern fish landing sites to reduce post-harvest losses 
• Construction a cold store/ice making machine sites to reduce post-harvest losses 
• Construction of 3 modern open fish markets in the County. 
• Completion of a Fish Auction centre at Mauro-Bay

Expected Output

From the input supplies of 802,000 fingerlings and 1535 bags of fish feeds, it is expected that the production of fish will increase by 16.04 tonnes this financial year (2014-15)

Public private partnership in the sector 

• SOYA BEANS: Office of Deputy President provided 16 Tons of seeds and Agriculture directorate implemented the initiative. 
• CASSAVA: Ministry of Agriculture (National Government-Kilimo HQ) funded (KSh.1.6M) proposal by directorate to bulk 255 acres (5 acres at Miyare ATC and 250 acres with farmers. Each farmer planted a quarter acre of cassava cuttings 
• Lower Kuja Irrigation Project: National Irrigation Board and Directorate of Agriculture partner in Nyatike Sub-County
• GREEN HOUSE TECHNOLOGY: AMIRAN provide demonstration kits for the directorate.

Rice sustainability 

• FIAP each beneficiary pays a commitment fee of KSh. 1,000 to discourage a handout mentality and improve ownership. 
• Cereal bank strategy: farmers preserve their harvest in order to sell at peak price periods thereby earning more income. 
• Rice farmers are organized to form associations or cooperatives to bulk their own seed 
• To promote upland rice the County has bought and installed three rice mills 
• Water pans: Committees are nominated and trained on water pan management and use. These committees organize their communities to contribute small amounts of money to maintain the pans.

Soya Sustainability 

• Sustainability in Soya: Farmers are contracted by FRESHCO who supply quality seed to farmers while Equatorial Nut Processors buy the produce from farmers. More market is enhanced through training on local consumption.

Tissue Culture Bananas Sustainability 

• Tissue Culture bananas are given only to farmers who have prepared right planting holes for the suckers to ensure proper survival of the seedlings. Once planted these seedlings have to be well maintained and passed on to other farmers for faster spread within the community.

Subsidized tractor hire services 

Tractor Hire Services are subsidized to farmers to such a level that ensures the tractors are self-maintained.  

The future plans to ensure sustainability is ensured through developed County Integrated Development Plan, stakeholder involvements and lobbying for investors in the sector

 Innovativeness 

• Ownership of projects and programmes: Farmer contribution of KSh. 1000 for Farm Input Access Programme, Payment of KSh 50 for Fruit seedlings at County Fruit tree nursery. 
• Bulking of cassava among farmers for proper maintenance and faster spread at reduced expense. 
• Raising vegetable seedlings in pots to evade harsh soil and weather conditions and be ready at onset of rains. Risks and Challenges of the sector.

Risks and Challenges of the sector 

 RISKS/ CHALLENGES

• Erratic flow of funds versus seasonality of agricultural operations
• Epidemic of Maize Lethal 
• Necrotic Disease Striga weed menace 
• soil acidification

  MITIGATION MEASURES

• Need to harmonize the flow of funds especially with respect to field operations
• Diversification with NERICA rice, soya beans and cassava 
• use of Striga weed tolerant seeds 
• use of the right varieties

Methods and Strategies to Achieve Desired Project Goals 

• County Integrated Development Programme (CIDP) 
• Agriculture sectoral plan 
• Most projects are designed as upscale and improvement of the previous programmes.
• Every programme/project has an in-built monitoring and evaluation system. 
• Training of beneficiaries is part and parcel of the implementation phase. 
• Established the sector targets from the first county Integrated Development Plan 
• Determined performance indicators 
• Sought for partnership with sector stakeholders 
• Carrying out baseline survey to determine implementation action plans 
• Signing of performance contract on deliverables within the sector

Effective delivery of services 

• To ensure accountability and effective delivery of services, performance contracting and appraisal system is used. 
• Funds are sourced using activity based work plans and budgets 

Sectoral mid-term goals 

 Anchored on the first County Integrated Development Plan, the county plans to: 

•  Construct/rehabilitate 84 earth dams/pans 
• Drill and equip 89 boreholes 
• Rehabilitate 25 boreholes/wells 
• Construct/rehabilitate 9 water supply schemes 
• Construct/protect 45no springs and shallow wells
•  Provide 500 roof catchment tanks C
• onstruct 4 convention waste water treatment systems 
• Construction of 61 ablution blocks

Spring protection works: 

These water sources exist within the county but some are unprotected and thus pose health risk to the communities who depend on them for their water needs. The county has constructed 15no of these facilities to provide safe water.

 Some facilities are provided with toilet and bathrooms to take care of sanitation and hygiene while others are provided with ferro cement tanks to provide storage for the night flow and hence adequate.

Supply and delivery of plastic tanks 

10000 litre tanks purchased and provided to learning and health institutions to provide safe water and improve of the hygiene of the institutions.

240 tanks distributed to date.

Governor Okoth Obado flagging off plastic water tanks in 2014 to schools and other public institutions 

Rehabilitation/augmentation of water supplies 

The county rehabilitated Rongo water supply to restore it to operational status. During this period the sector was blessed to have three water supplies (i.e. Awendo, Migori and Isebania) rehabilitated /augmented with support from the National Government and Donors

Migori water supply treatment plant at Oyani, Uriri Sub-County 

Specific plans and partnerships to counter future dynamics: 

The funds available and allocated through the county are not adequate to address the needs of the sector. The sector has thus made elaborate plans through concept notes and round table talks to seek additional funding from the German, Israel, Korean and Japanese governments and the Water Service Trust Fund to provide water and sanitation.

Audit and control measures taken to improve Water, Sanitation & Hygiene

• Improved metering for consumers to reduce Non Revenue Water 
• Improved surveillance on the pipelines for fast action on bursts, leakages and illegal connections 
• Handling of cash by staffs for water services prohibited enhancing accountability in revenue collection – customers make direct payments to the account or through MPesa paybill number. 

Strategies relating to implementation of midterm goals in the Water, Sanitation & Hygiene sector: 

•  Prioritizing the sector at budgeting especially during the 2015/16FY with a threefold increase in budget allocation. 
• Strategizing to increase funding with support from donors and other development partners. 
• Borehole sites identified and hydro geological surveys carried out in readiness for financial support. This saves time when funds are allocated or a development partner is identified.