This as Kenya prepares to host an international conference on desert locust in 2023.
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi has said the government has fully operationalized the Desert Locust Early Warning Centre.
The centre in Nairobi will avert future invasions by the migratory pests.
Speaking in Rome, Italy, after a consultative meeting with the Director General of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Dr Qu Duoyng, Linturi stated that the centre will help the government to detect early signs of an invasion by desert locusts and institute measures to avert disasters.
“With the Desert Locust Early Warning Centre now in place courtesy of support from FAO, we now request the organisation to offer technical and financial support to Kenya in hosting the international desert locust conference in March, 2023,” Linturi requested.
The CS spoke on the sidelines of the of the FAO council meeting when he held talks with the FAO director general.
Kenya was adversely affected by the desert locust invasions in 2020 leading to loss of crops in over 24 counties.
“We thank FAO for the technical and budgetary support extended to us in controlling the desert locust menace. Without the strategic support the damage could have been devastating to food systems in the region,” Linturi said.
The CS said the Kenyan government seeks to pursue collaboration with FAO to enhance the resilience and sustainable agri-food systems in order to make Kenya a food secure nation.
“Climate change in Kenya is increasingly impacting the lives of our citizens and the environment. Climate change has led to more frequent extreme weather events like droughts which last longer than usual, irregular and unpredictable rainfall, flooding and increasing temperatures," the CS said.
The Cabinet Secretary told Duoyng that President William Ruto’s administration has prioritised efforts to combat effects of climate change and the prolonged drought to end hunger in arid and semi-arid counties affected by the disaster.
“We must eradicate hunger by all means necessary and that’s why we are seeking technological and innovations support from FAO for us to achieve more yields,” Linturi added.
On his part Duoyng welcomed Kenya’s partnership in the transformation of the agricultural sector.
During the meeting, Linturi was accompanied by Council of Governors Agriculture committee chairman and Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka and Kenya's Ambassador to Italy Jackline Yongo.
Linturi also held talks with the World Food Programme deputy executive director Valerie Guarneri on Kenya’s food security status.
He told Guarneri that Kenya is committed to enhance collaboration with WFP in the face of the many natural disasters that have been experienced in Kenya threatening food security, resilience building and sustainable livelihoods.
Guarneri affirmed WFP’s support towards Kenya’s efforts to restore food security after the prolonged drought that affected 24 Counties leading to loss of lives and livestock.
“Water is important for livelihood and food production. We therefore need to find ways of increasing water harvesting technologies, shallow wells and sinking boreholes to achieve agricultural productivity,” Guarneri asserted.
