Food situation & agriculture in kenya
- 1. FOOD SITUATION & AGRICULTURE IN KENYA Agriculture, still the mainstay of the Kenyan Economy
- 2. AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY Agriculture is Kenya’s economic backbone It contributes 26% directly and 25% indirectly to the national GDP Around 1 million hectares are under irrigation and the strategy under vision 2030 is to transform from subsistence farming to a profitable business The four major subsectors: tea, coffee, sugarcane & cotton
- 3. FOOD TRADE AND SECURITY 1 billion people are hungry in the world 75% of the world’s poor live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Today deaths related to hunger outnumber war deaths by 5 to1. Recent increases in food prices may push another 100 million people below the poverty line.
- 4. WHO SUFFERS MOST FROM HUNGER? Hunger is most pronounced in the rural areas of Africa and Asia Especially in regions prone to drought: the Horn of Africa and Somalia Changes in the global food markets affect global hunger and poverty
- 5. FACTORS CAUSING FOOD INSECURITY Local Factors: Poverty, which reduces purchasing power Land and Gender; insecure tenure is the reality of the majority of poor farmers Women produce up to 80% of the food despite owning only 20% of the land. Discrimination limits access to credit, advisory support, local economic decision making Conflict Environmental degradation Supply vs Demand
- 6. OTHER FACTORS International Factors: World food prices World trade rules Bio fuels: 40% of Americas corn goes to make ethanol, enough to feed $400 million hungry people Climate change: higher temperatures shorten growing seasons. Temperatures in Africa are expected to rise faster than global ones. Political neglect; governments intervention in food production and marketing was limited until recently. Only 8 govts have achieved the Maputo goal of 10%.
- 7. GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS GM crops are exposed to foreign genes to stimulate growth and enhance quality. Proponents of GM crops say: they store better, have better nutritional quality, tolerate herbicides, lack of water, extremes of temperature. The risks to GM crops include: health risks to humans, danger to the environment.
- 8. SOLUTIONS Responsive food policy and incentives for farming Research and policy advocacy on new approaches to solving hunger and climate change challenges Educating rural farmers on food crops International advocacy and fundraising
- 9. Amb. Dr. Josephine Ojiambo DPR Kenya Mission [email protected] Thank You: Scarsdale High school & Participating Students Rashid Silvera