Gatanga farmers count losses as rodents and monkeys destroy crops

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Farmers in Gatanga Constituency, Murang’a County have raised concern over declining harvests attributed to increCounty,attacks by rodents and wild animals, even as they prepare their farms for the October-December long rains.

Residents of Kigio, Garutu, Gakurari and Gaitegi say velvet monkeys, rats, porcupines and moles have become increasingly destructive, resulting in significant crop losses and making farming more costly and difficult.

The farmers are calling on the Ministry of Agriculture to deploy agricultural extension officers to their areas to educate them on effective and safe ways of controlling the pests and animals, saying the losses are undermining their livelihoods.

They want the government to intervene before the onset of the next planting season, saying timely extension services and practical pest-control measures would help protect crops, reduce losses and make farming more productive.

Farmer Samuel Njoroge from Kigio says velvet monkeys have terrorized farmers in the area for years, leaving many with little or nothing to show for their investment in farming.

“The monkeys destroyed everything,” said Njoroge, noting that many farmers failed to harvest anything substantial despite investing heavily in their farms during the last planting season.

He said farmers were also grappling with what they described as a new species of large and destructive rats, locally referred to as Bernard and Mutembei, which have further worsened the situation.

Farmer Mary Waithera said her macadamia harvest has been severely affected by rats, with the pests attacking the nuts before farmers can harvest them.

“You wake up ready to harvest and make sales only to find the rats have eaten them. And they pick them so seamlessly and unpack the contents. You will only find the husks buried in the soil and you can’t sell anything at that point,” she said.

Waithera said moles have also become a major threat to root crops, particularly cassava and sweet potatoes, as they uproot the crops soon after they are planted.

“Catching one mole will cost you Sh200, so if you have a huge farm, you find it unsustainable and expensive,” she said.

She also called on the government to provide farmers with appropriate traps and other measures to control the rodents and moles, while training them on how to effectively manage the menace.

Another farmer, Mwangi Charles, said the impact of the pests was evident after the just-concluded harvesting season, with many households recording poor harvests.

“We have just concluded harvesting and unlike the last time when people had storage barns to store their produce, this time there is nothing to store. People are even using the barns as firewood,” he said

Mwangi observed that the situation was worrying given the importance of the area to food production, warning that continued crop losses could undermine household food security.

“Our food basket is running on empty. We call on the county and national governments to quickly find a solution to this menace before we embark on planting for the next season. They are fearless and destructive,” he implored.

The farmers also want authorities to explore sustainable measures of managing wildlife incursions while ensuring farmers are able to protect their crops and livelihoods.

By Florence Kinyua

Reporting originally appeared via Kenya News Agency. Read the full source for additional context.