From the outbox of Meyer’s inbox:
Consider this: Kenya needs to plan for their food security. This doesn’t mean guarding the chicken coops but literally formulating a plan to make sure everyone in the country can be feed in the next decade. Their plan calls for putting farming first because of its importance. Hmmm, wonder where else that could work? Think about that the next time you go grocery shopping and see the abundance thanks to our farmers and food processors. We are truly blessed.
KENYA EYES FOOD SECURITY STATUS
Kenya started its march towards food security Saturday after President Kibaki unveiled a new plan to oversee food production in the next decade. The grand roadmap –Agricultural Sector Development Strategy, 2010-2020– will spearhead the fight against poverty and hunger as the country inches towards its dream of being a middle-income economy by 2030.
Speaking at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi Saturday, President Kibaki said the government was changing tack to have agriculture drive Kenya’s economy to the ambitious annual growth of 10 per cent expected in the next two decades.
The President said the government will make changes to the current laws “so that individual farmers feel encouraged to shift from subsistence crop production to market-oriented commercial production”
“(We’ll ensure) that farmers can access affordable credit even if it means changing our credit laws in favour of farming enterprises,” he said.
The shift to commercial agriculture, he said, will ensure affordable provision of seeds, fertiliser and agro-chemicals to farmers. Also, agricultural institutions will be boosted “for extension, research and innovations, agro-processing and marketing”.Rural infrastructure will also get a boost to ensure that farmers access markets, plus, they will also be cushioned from losses through “farm insurance schemes”, the President said.
“(We’ll be) transforming our farming enterprises from producers of primary raw material to producers of value added products ready for consumption,” he added.
The launch of the ten-year plan comes at a time when two out of every five Kenyans are exposed to the threat of going hungry. It also comes just four weeks after the high-powered launch of the East Africa Common Market, which is expected to open up the region for trade.
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