To increase agricultural yields, experts say, farmers need to be empowered

Country Manager William Ng'eno (from left), Yara East Africa Limited, Azaria Soi, Managing Director and CEO Kenya Seed Company and Jacob Ochieng, Programmes Lead, Change Ambitions Practical Action in East Africa during the FarmKenya breakfast at the Intercontinental Hotel, Nairobi. The inaugural breakfast organised by the Standard Group courtesy of Seeds for Growth aims at finding ways forward to improving food security in the country. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Pests, diseases, outdated technology and inadequate soil nutrients are undermining the country's food security, agricultural experts have said.

Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (Kari) researchers also said poor infrastructure and climate change impact were other problems affecting the agricultural sector.

The experts were speaking during a forum convened by the Standard Group under the company’s Farm Kenya initiative, in partnership with agricultural stakeholders, including the Kenya Seed Company, Farm Machine Distributors (FMD) East Africa, YARA Kenya, the Agrochemicals Association of Kenya (AAK) and Practical Action in East Africa.

The experts, who are from different areas of food production, said Kenya’s food security was threatened due to an increasing population against reducing arable land.

Currently, just 16 per cent of Kenya’s land is arable and would keep on reducing due to both soil degradation and increasing real estate development.

William Nge’no, the YARA country manager for Kenya and Uganda, revealed that external factors such as weather and pests, portrayed by the ongoing locust invasion, are exerting even more pressure on Kenya’s food security.

However, even more worrying, the discussion revealed, is the poor planning and lack of knowledge among farmers, factors that are exacerbated by financial constraints.

“Many farmers lack adequate information, so we need to sensitise them on certain aspects of food production and build capacity in counties so farmers can have access to technical professionals who can guide them,” said Azariah Soi, the managing director of the Kenya Seed Company.

By providing farmers with easily accessible information and empowering them to plan, the experts noted, food production was bound to increase substantially.

To facilitate proper planning among farmers, Jacob Ochieng of Practical Action in East Africa, an NGO that works to alleviate poverty, explained that it is important for stakeholders to present relevant information to farmers. The organisation has recently scaled up its collaboration with smallholders to boost agricultural production.

Eric Kimugunyi, the CEO of AAK, also noted that great solutions could be derived through increased engagements between stakeholders and farmers.

“We believe we can set the agenda. Farm Kenya should be a platform that provides discourse around the issues,” said Standard Group CEO Orlando Lyomu.

The forum is one of many initiatives by the Standard Group, under the Farm Kenya initiative, aimed at sensitising farmers and contributing to food security, one of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four Agenda.