Environment and Forestry CS Keriako Tobiko has called for better management of upstream water so that we can have sustainable agriculture.
Tobiko said that the current floods can be managed by prudent upstream farming practices where runoff water and sediments can be stored and filtered naturally to enable a yearlong flow of rivers.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Mohamed Elmi on Tuesday during the official opening of a food security workshop, Tobiko said that Kenya like many countries continue to face environmental challenges which must be addressed to achieve social economic benefits with a view to achieving sustainable development in the region.
He said that Kenya has received Sh 4 billion from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to implement the Upper Tana Nairobi water fund project.
“The timing could not have been better than now when Kenya is experiencing serious flooding which was preceded by prolonged drought,” Tobiko said.
He continued… “Currently there are 30 national projects and 65 projects with a regional and global context and many more which are community-based programs. The ministry of the environment which is the focal point GEF operations has continued to offer the critical support in managing the national GEF portfolio and oversighting project implementation.”
International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) lead technical specialist Liza Leclerec said that they provide both grants and loans to their member countries on sustainable agriculture production to support smallholder farmers who work on subsistence production.
“We have an active portfolio of 70 billion USD which we invest across the world in promoting the smallholder farmers,” she said.
She highlighted that one of the challenges facing food security in Africa is the growing population which requires sustained food production.
“Many farmers in Africa don’t have access to farm inputs and fertilizer to increase their farm output so for the same size of land in Africa the production is low compared to other parts of the world,” said Leclerec.