5 Things that will Pull Farmers Out of Poverty

The end of 2014 brought the conclusion of the African Union’s Year of Agriculture and Food Security.

However, most Africans work in some aspect of agriculture, and for them, every year is dedicated to agriculture and food security.

As farmers head out into their fields today, they are likely giving little thought to meetings underway in South Africa focused on energising the AU’s Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

AU leaders have vowed to move quickly in 2015 to fulfil the promises enshrined in Malabo Declaration, which reaffirmed the commitment of AU member states to allot 10 per cent of national budgets to agriculture, double productivity on African farms and cut post-harvest losses by half.

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has been seeking out public and private sector partners committed to triggering a uniquely African green revolution; one that revolves around the smallholder farmers who produce the majority of what Africans eat.

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Government Dismantles Cartels to Lower Market Prices

Ten months after it was exposed how a cartel-inspired fertiliser standard was put in place, the government has begun rectifying the multibillion-shilling policy mistake even as the syndicates fight back.

Unbeknown to many, two years ago some traders conspired – thanks to the Sh3 billion subsidised fertiliser – and lowered the cadmium limit for the input sold in Kenya to 15 parts per million, down from 30ppm. This left the country with no choice but to get the fertiliser from a single Saudi supplier. Sources revealedthat the cartels, eager to retain their monopoly, are fighting the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) and government’s push to rectify the situation.

The move, quietly gazetted on February 23, 2018, led to the rise of fertiliser prices and guaranteed the cartels a single source for their products.

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A Promise to Farmers, Sector

Food security requires a vibrant, commercial and modern agricultural sector that sustainably supports Kenya’s own economic development and national priorities.

The government will spend Sh440 billion over the next five years to boost farming, Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya has said.

The CS said the programme is being implemented under the Agricultural Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy (ASTGS) 2019-2029. The strategy, he said, is based on the belief that food security requires a vibrant, commercial and modern agricultural sector that sustainably supports Kenya’s own economic development and national priorities.

The ambitious plan is also in line with the commitments to the Malabo Declaration under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Mr Munya spoke during the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa)- organised National Agriculture Summit in Nairobi, where he explained that the ASTGS has built on lessons learnt from previous strategies with a focus on counties as the centres for implementation and delivery. He believes the strategy will make the country a regional agriculture powerhouse.

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For Bumper Harvest, we Must get it Right on Seeds

While breeders have the scientific knowledge and methods, farmers are good at identifying traits that suit their particular environments and resource levels.

With a rapidly growing population, food demands are increasing pressure on the fixed and dwindling land resource, not to mention the rising degradation of the environment coupled with uncertainties resulting from climate change.

To complicate the matter further, low yields are rampant across the African continent, Kenya included.

According to the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) 2011 report, the average yields of maize in East Africa is 1.5 tonnes per hectare (t/ha) compared to global average of 4.5 t/ha. This is closely linked to unavailability of planting materials.

To increase production, the solution lies in seed enhancement or improvement technology through plant breeding to generate the best quality seeds that are more productive and are pest and disease-resistant. As opposed to natural selection where only the strongest seeds survive, germplasm is a deliberate scientific process of improving seed quality and using this for production. It ensures that seeds of lower quality are removed from circulation.

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