Posted on April, 2, 2019 at 08:54 am
By Bethwel Kaino
Reports that thousands of people in 23 counties are being faced with starvation due to inadequate rainfall calls for long-term intervention measures to avert deaths and contain the situation.
The supply of relief food won’t stop food scarcity. Rather, the provision of modern agricultural crop production techniques is the most suitable solution to attaining food stability.
The government and other stakeholders should put in place practical measures, including harvesting water during the rainy season to be used during the dry season, as part of the efforts to deal with perennial food shortages.
The revival of irrigation projects and initiation of new ones to boost food production is one of the options that need to be put in place especially in arid areas.
Such irrigation projects that have been put in place in Kerio Valley, lower Eastern, Northeastern and Coast regions among other arid areas have proved that the soils are fertile for agricultural activities and should be improved.
Irrigation programmes should be revamped and rainwater harvesting enhanced in areas like Wei Wei in West Pokot and Galana Kulalu in Tana River counties. This besides initiating more irrigation schemes in arid areas as a measure to containing food shortages.
Likewise, the government is fully implementing the recently approved long-term programmes for agricultural extension, development and research to increase agricultural productivity.
Years back, the department of agriculture had extension workers who toured villages to ensure farmers followed instructions. It is ideal that the department is revived to help farmers for the country to become food sufficient.
The aim is to put more acres under irrigation and contain the perennial problem of food shortage. The country could overcome the challenge of feeding its people and attain better livelihood by introducing reforms and intervention measures to revamp the agricultural sector.
Kenya relies heavily on rain-fed agriculture, and many irrigation schemes should be revived besides improving existing ones to help improve agricultural production and reduce dependency on rains.
HOW TO HELP FARMERS
Lowering taxes on farm machinery and having county governments in grain-growing areas prioritise the availability of the resources (farm inputs and machinery) would also motivate farmers to increase crop production. Availability of the farm machinery at affordable rates is one of the motivations grain farmers need to increase crop production, and for the country to attain food security.
Natural calamities like diseases, drought, and floods are major setbacks in the agricultural sector that farmers have for long grappled with, and they should be cushioned through the implementation of the Guaranteed Minimum Returns.
The Ministry of Agriculture should facilitate and encourage food production that is not entirely dependent on the availability of rain. Irrigation farming in a country like Egypt, largely a desert, has ensured it is food sufficient to an extent it produces surplus grain for export.
Small-scale farmers should be encouraged to move away from traditional methods of farming and espouse scientific methods that guarantee good yields. The use of approved fertiliser after soil acidity is ascertained can go a long way in improving crop yields.
The government should also urge farmers to diversify from maize to other crops, some of which are drought-resistant, like sorghum, millet, cowpeas, green grams and cassavas. Research shows this provides smallholder farmers with a diversity of diet, improves their income and nutrition security.
Unless the government revamps irrigation programmes, encourages diversification of crops, solves insecurity challenges besides enhancing water harvesting in arid and semi-arid areas of the country, famine will continue to hit such areas every year.
Kaino works for the Deputy President’s Press. Comments expressed here are his own (kainobethwel@yahoo.com).
Source: The Star