The consolidated act that collapsed and melted the
commissions of pyrethrum, sisal, coconut, sugar, tea and horticulture among
other parastatals into one body: Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Association (AFFA)
comes in the wake of efforts of The Ministry of Agriculture to streamline their
functions.
On food security, Cabinet Secretary Felix Kosgey advice to
Kenyans is to diversify their agricultural practices to incorporate a wide
range of food crops and an emphasis on research. The government's initiative to
make this a reality through subsidizing the prices of fertilizers to make crop
production more affordable in the country. Also in support of the wage bill
move to cut on public expenditure, Kosgey announced that it was allocating 1
billion shillings to revitalize the Kenya Meats Commission (KMC) and rectify
mismanagement that has contributed to its dismal performance.
Most African nations wait for disasters to occur before they
map out a plan to counteract it. In light of food security, it is when a nation
faces an impending famine or drought that we realize something needs to be
done. Reforming the parastatals in the business of food management is indeed a
good start.
In most cases, a country is held responsible for food
insecurity when it fails to harness the full potential of the resources
available to them. Before we go knocking on the doors of donors amidst huge
debts, there is a need to work from within. Kilifi County is an excellent
example of how an emphasis on horticulture goes a long way in not only boosting
tourism, exports but also keeping food security in check. The recent
announcement by Governor Amason Kingi on plans to develop a food processing
plant to be at the heart of agribusiness in the county is an indication of the
role of government officials in focusing on developing the country. Kilifi is
home to fruits like banana, mango and pineapples, essential crops that have a
ready market but with hindrances like poor road networks, their benefit is
limited to the county.
The propose wage bill should contribute to initiatives meant
to ensure Kenyans do not go hungry and do not simply make ends meet, getting by
with so little. Agriculture remains the number one avenue through which Kenya
can feed its people. The need to sensitize the public on modern agricultural
practices cannot be underplayed. The country has been accused of just being all
about maize and beans while ignoring drought resistant crops like cassava. In
the wake of lifestyle diseases and varied cases of malnutrition, Kenyans are
encouraged to stretch their taste buds and widen their food varieties. So that
when there isn't enough "unga" in the country they don’t say they are
on the end stages of starvation when there are fruits, vegetables and other
delicacies out there.
A sustainable environment is indeed the way to go if
agriculture will remain the only way to food production. Following in South
Africa's continual move towards a "green" economy is something Kenya
can consider as a key agenda in strategizing for food security.
But is the entire goal just to ensure Kenyans have food? Any
food at that? With adverse climate changes and unfavorable weather conditions
that have made traditional farming techniques a dreamboat, we now have turned
to food science and technology as our only hope. So we started off with green
houses then we realized, oh, GMOs foods are far much better. So now the lives
of many are being altered with chemically induced foods that indeed fill up our
bellies but in the end harm our health in more ways that we can imagine. In the
drive to be industrialized and efficient, we want things instantly. We’d rather
cut down the hours spent in a farm so that we better use it in food processing.
Of vegetables and fruits that magically grow under induced conditions. This is
indeed the era of canned foods and preservatives.
So where does the government draw the line between simply
giving a nation food and ensuring the food is safe? When quantity is valued
over quality so that we claim we produce tonnes and tonnes of crops, enjoy high
export rates yet all we are doing is profiting from
poison and threatening our lives and of generations to come.
The question that remains unanswered is: 'Does the country
have a sound food security plan?'
The conversation continues…
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