The National Farmers Award competition has officially kicked off, with the forms being distributing across the 47 counties.
Farmers are requested to get the forms and apply for the competition, with the application exercise running up to end of July.
This year’s categories are large-scale farm fully commercialised, small-scale farm gearing towards commercialisation, small-scale farm fully commercialised, small-scale agro input dealer, large-scale agro input dealer, large-scale fully commercialised floriculture, youth in agriculture, women in agriculture and physically challenged persons in agriculture.
Entry forms are available at all the Ministry of Agriculture county offices, in Seeds of Gold (see page 23), at Nation Media regional offices or visit www.elgonkenya.com, www.elgonkenya.co.ke, www.hortinews.co.ke and Seeds of GoldKe pages on Facebook and Twitter.
The awards are a partnership between agro-input firm Elgon Kenya Ltd and the Ministry of Agriculture. The scheme has grown to be an important event in the country’s farming calendar since it was first launched in 2013 having created a host of soil celebrities.
Winners in the youth, women and physically challenged are rewarded by the President at the Nairobi International Trade Fair and a gala dinner with top government officials organised for all the winners.
The awards have also been pivotal in shifting discussion from boardrooms to a central meeting point between ordinary farmers and other key players in the sector, including government and the private sector.
The pioneer edition received 8,000 applicants, with the number now having more than tripled attracting entries from over 40 counties.
Through working with both national and county governments, the scheme has reached farmers from every corner of the country whose heart-warming stories embody the spirit of ordinary people surmounting numerous odds to deliver extraordinary results.
Other key sponsors of the scheme are Nation Media Group through Seeds of Gold, Bayer East Africa, UPL, Arysta, Excel Crop Care Limited, BASF and FMC. For more information on the awards, contact Nelson Maina, Elgon Kenya Ltd on +254722403103 or email awards@elgonfarmersawards.com and John Njoroge, Ministry of Agriculture on 0726088502.
You can also: click here to download the form or the related downloads link below the story.