Kenya: Food security still threatened

Large-scale controlled agriculture is a sure way to achieving food security

Thrilled by Zimbabwe government ( Zimbabwe: Metal Silos to Cut Post-Harvest Losses Unveiled) I had to reflect on what is happening here in Kenya. There are some very interesting plans though.....Example being the "Gala-Kulalu Food Project at the kenyan coast in which the government has set aside in the fiscal year 2014/15 USD 42 Millions to put 80,000 acres of land under irrigation....this is just but one part of the larger government plan to reach food security.

The government has indicated that Irrigation/technology is and will be the only bridge to the ever-increasing gap in food insecurity. According to the Office of the Deputy President and the Ministry of Agriculture, In the next 4 years, irrigation will ensure part of land that has over decades not be cultivable 500,000 acres will be put under maize, 200,000 under sugarcane, 150,000 acres under beef and game, horticulture, dairy farming and fruits will each take a share of 50,000 acres.

The plan is so noble that every Kenyan may now rest assured that there will never get a time we have such initiatives to help drought ravaged Kenyans in the North of the country like we had in 2011 dubbed "Kenyans 4 Kenyans". This, with conservative figures indicating that we would have lost about 3.75 Million Kenyans that year, thanks to the Kenyan spirit embraced then, driven by Safaricom and other corporate entities.

Back to the story of noble Kenyan government plans to see over 1,000,000 acres of land under irrigation, Post-harvest losses still dares the noble idea. One will be forgiven not to flash back to 2005. Then, under National Alliance for Rainbow Coalition (NARC) government, food security became number 1 priority. Here, even the driest of dry areas in Kenya (e.g.Makueni district in lower Eastern) soils bowed to heavy production but after the bumper harvest, most of the maize was declared unfit for human consumption due to high levels of aflatoxins. This was replicated in other areas like the Bura Irrigation scheme etc. from this past experience, Kenyan government should have put up succinctness measures like ensuring the Strategic Grain Reserve (SGR) moves with times putting in mind the projected annul grain requirement by 2020 to hit 5.2 Million tonnes.

IFC have in the last year convened seminars and workshops like the last one funded by Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) to discuss matters on how to revitalize the SGR. Thanks to such initiatives the government in the Fiscal year 2013/14 waived all taxes related to import of equipment and technologies for use in Post-Harvest losses reduction. This is done in a bid to encourage private participation in investing in this area.
 Although the treasury is yet to release guidelines on the same, it points out to the right direction already. Such initiatives should be encouraged and the government too should continue with the plan to build/increase/expand the current Food Holding Reserves all over the country. Wrangles and corruption almost crippled one of the National Cereals and Produce Board in the country and this in turn has led to most farmers quitting or reducing their production units.
time to re-focus!