Agriculture &Livestock :Sector Coordinator Abdirahman M. Abass
The Sector Forum for Agriculture and Livestock (SFAL) is an instrument under the FCDC to enhance cooperation, coordination and information flow between counties on issues related to agriculture and livestock. County Executive Committee Members (CECs) of the ten FCDC Counties hold regular meetings and the SFAL Secretariat implements decisions taken by the Forum. SFAL currently implements the “Strengthening Livestock Sector in Arid and Semi-Arid areas of Kenya” (LSS Project) funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC) is a shared platform created by the County Governments of Lamu, Tana River, Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit, Turkana, Samburu, West Pokot and Isiolo. The ten Counties belong to the poorest regions in Kenya, where historical marginalization has resulted in glaring inequalities between them and the rest of Kenya.
FCDC wants to enhance the benefits of the devolution process in their member counties by serving as a catalyst and trigger for sustainable development and prosperity in the FCDC region. The Vision of the Council is to create a secure, peaceful, just and prosperous FCDC region, where people achieve their full potential and enjoy a high quality of life.
In 2017, FCDC set up the Sector Forum for Agriculture and Livestock (SFAL) as an instrument to enhance cooperation, coordination and information flow between counties and with the national Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries on issues related to agriculture and livestock. CECs of the 10 FCDC members form the General Assembly and meet regularly to deliberate on issues and topics raised by the Counties, the Government of Kenya and development partners. They decide on what issues and businesses their Secretariat should work on.
The Secretariat is responsible for the day to day running of the SFAL, mobilizes resources and implements requests and decisions taken by the General Assembly. Since 2018 the SFAL has identified regional rangeland management, regional disease control, advocacy & knowledge management, institutional strengthening of county departments, and diversification of livelihoods as their key priorities
The SFAL Objectives
- 1. To enhance agriculture and livestock productivity in the FCDC region.
- 2. To harmonize policies for agriculture and livestock and County agricultural/ livestock sector plans (as part of CIDPs).
- 3. To coordinate infrastructure developments in the region, create synergies and avoid duplication.
- 4. To debate inter-county issues related to agriculture and livestock and develop binding agreements, recommendations, or information documents to resolve them.
- 5. To act as a forum for exchanging information and learning; conduct joint assessments and share best practices.
- 6. To advocate on issues related to agriculture and livestock, food security, pastoralism, and drought in FCDC Counties.
SFAL Members
Under the current SFAL members, we put their name, title, and county under the image
- Dr. Yussuf mohamed , Sector Chair & CECM, Isiolo
- HON Hassan Abdirizak CECM, Garissa
- Adan Dagane Hamud, CECM, Mandera
- Hussein Ali Hussein, CECM Marsabit
- David Erukudi Ewoyate, CECM, Turkana
- Patrick Lekimain, CECM, Samburu
SFAL priority Areas for 2018-2021
1. Regional Rangeland management
The Sector Forum has also worked on drought preparedness and management by mapping seasonal migration and marketing routes and training county staff. It is an active member of the NDMA-led Ending Drought Emergencies (EDE) Pillar 4 on Sustainable Livelihoods.
2. Regional livestock disease control
The Sector Forum advocated improved herd management and veterinary governance by providing adequate human, material, and financial resources. It has developed a regional common programme framework for livestock disease control in the FCDC region. In supporting the Framework implementation, SFAL has developed a coordination mechanism to enhance coordinated vaccination campaigns and has pushed for a standardized approach towards availability and payment for veterinary pharmaceuticals.
3. Strengthening County Departments of Agriculture & Livestock
Livestock productivity will only increase if County departments can offer reliable and affordable quality services to livestock holders. SFAL has supported County departments to review their organizational structures and staff profiles and put in place measures and systems to increase efficiency, accountability, and performance of departmental staff and services provided to livestock holders. Systems to computerize Human Resources have been promoted, and peer-to-peer learning and training on the use of the government’s GRHIS system have been supported by SFAL.
4. Knowledge management and advocacy
SFAL has advocated within FCDC counties, at the national level, and vis-à-vis international partners on issues relevant to enhancing agriculture and livestock productivity and improving livelihoods of the pastoralist communities. Learning, knowledge management tools such as local radio have been promoted to facilitate knowledge transfer to remote and hard-to-reach communities.