Poor seed to blame for declining food production

By Dedan Okanga

Inefficient seed development technology is to blame for Kenya’s declining food production, scientists have said.

Experts from Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (Agra) said previous Government policies that had shielded private firms from development and supply of seeds to farmers had adversely affected food production.

Agra Programme Officer for crop development, Jane Ininda, said the organisation aimed to ease accessibility to quality seeds and modern farming technology for 2 million farmers.

"We seek to establish a link between crop breeders, seed companies and regulators to reduce the distance farmers have to cover to obtain seeds," she said yesterday.

The group, which operates in 13 countries across the continent, has established 15 centres for dealers in seed development and supply for Kenyan rural farmers.

More operators in marginalised areas, they said, will receive financial support to help them start the agricultural service and advisory centres.

"We aim to empower agro dealers in rural areas to provide extension services to farmers and also work together with the Government so that policy interventions are market friendly," said Muhhuku Fred, Agra programme officer in dealer development. The team also blamed the country’s poor yields on improper and insufficient used of fertiliser and poor handling of hybrid seeds.

"On average Kenyan farmers use 30kg of fertiliser an acre while in Asian countries where green revolution has peaked, about 300kg are used in a similar piece of land," added Ininda.