KARA AUGUST 2011 ISSUE.indd

FAMINE
PHOTO: Courtesy Google.com
The government spokesman Dr Alfred Mutua,
a highly educated man with several degrees to
boot, had the temerity to deny the obvious on
national TV at the cost of taxpayers.
Government offi cials, including the Minister
for special programme Esther Murugi, insist that
there is enough food. Indeed ours is a country
of contradictions. It is said that while in some
parts of Kenya food is rotting in others women,
children and the aged are literally staring at
death due to starvation.
Why is it impossible for the Government to
map out the areas with food and those without
and, as Governments should, put in place
mechanisms that enable redistribution of food?
Again, the Government has been long on policy
but short on implementation.
Year in year out there are policy statements
about how the country should migrate from rainfed
agriculture to irrigation. The government
went further and crafted a Ministry of Water and
Irrigation. So where is the food and or who is
not doing his job?
The failure of government to plan and
focus on long term projects has exacerbated
the situation. A few years ago, Malawi was
in the same situation as is Kenya today.
However with proper planning and long term
focus Malawi is an exporter of food.
From the foregoing, there is need to put in
place a programme for extension services to
provide the knowledge and skills that farmers
need to produce optimally. According to the
Egerton University based Tegemeo Institute,
Kenya has about 3 million small scale farmers
who account for 75 per cent of the total maize
crop.
In addition, the national average maize
yields per hectare are estimated at 20 bags
of 90 kilogramme. These yields are about one
twentieth of those attained internationally in
countries such as Argentina.
Besides, the land policy that allows
subdivision of land to untenable sizes is
also a contributory factor. There should be a
minimum landholding in agricultural areas.
Kenyan farmers are better advised to grow
traditional crops such as cassava, potatoes
and millet that are drought resistant and easier
to store.
Abundant worldwide evidence has shown
that the incentives and ability of farmers to
make investments in productivity-enhancing
inputs and production methods depends on
reducing the transaction costs and risks of
exchange across inputs, credit, and output
markets.
Throughout the world, the major share of
staple food costs to the consumer is typically
accounted for by marketing costs. In most
countries in eastern and southern Africa,
maize marketing costs account for about
40% to 60% of the total retail price of maize
meal paid by consumers.The reduction of
these costs represents a major opportunity
to improve farm production incentives and
simultaneously make food more affordable to
low-income consumers.
www.cofek.co.ke
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