‘Smart farming’ the way to food security

World Trade Organisation members concluded their 10th Ministerial Conference in Nairobi last December by securing a historic agreement on several trade initiatives.

The “Nairobi Package”, as it has come to be known, contains six ministerial decisions on agriculture, cotton, and issues related to least-developed countries.

The conference’s outcome is critical to the agricultural sector in Kenya, arguably the backbone of the nation’s economy.

More than 75 per cent of Kenyans make some part of their living from agricultural activities and the sector accounts for more than a fourth of Kenya’s gross domestic product.

Its centrality to food security and inter-linkage with other aspects of national life cannot be gainsaid.

However, agricultural productivity is stagnating, yet our population is growing.

This poses critical challenges to the country’s food security.

Statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organisation show that close to four million people in Kenya receive food aid annually and that only about 20 per cent of Kenyan land is suitable for farming.

Maximum yields have not been achieved in these areas, leaving considerable potential for increased productivity.

'SMART BUSINESS'
Kenya’s agricultural sector and value-addition services have been referred to as rudimentary, with no incentives for production against such drawbacks as the high cost of power, dear credit rates, and poor transportation systems and infrastructure.

Phenomena such as climate change call for integrating climate-smart agriculture with inclusive market systems and including climate change into development policies aimed at increased crop resilience.

There is also a need for funding to go towards research to identify how farming can be transformed into “smart business”.

This calls for the government to be proactive and effective in responding to farmers’ needs to guarantee resilience, adoption, and food security.

According to a report by the Presidential Task Force on Government-Owned Entities Reform, parastatals such as the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services, the Coffee Research Foundation, and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute are important in accelerating economic growth and development and improving the delivery of public services by meeting the basic needs of citizens.

However, they are currently seen as impediments to development because of corruption and bureaucratic obstacles.

A LOT TO GAIN
Clearly, there must be a friendly climate to attract domestic and foreign investors and innovators in agriculture to rev up the economic engine to create and encourage employment for the youth in the sector.

Kenya can adopt the example of the Seychelles, which ensures that the little farming land available is cultivated in a “climate-smart” way by integrating agriculture into its development policies to increased resilience.

Kenya received $10 million from the Climate Adaptation Fund, while Denmark committed to support Kenya to the tune of Sh7.5 billion for its Green Growth and Employment Project. 

Further, the Renewable Energy Initiative pledged $10 billion in renewable energy projects for the wider East African region.

Clearly, we stand to benefit significantly through climate-smart agriculture, resilience, and adoption to achieve smart business with the aim of achieving food security and economic growth.