The Council of Governors has urged farmers to incorporate 'orphan crops' into their farming systems to boost food security.
Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka, who chairs CoG’s Agriculture Committee, said 'orphan crops' can potentially enhance national food security.
“It is important that we embrace a multi-agricultural approach since it's crucial for driving value addition and increasing food output,” Lusaka said during a multi-sectoral meeting organised by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in Nairobi.
The gathering also discussed the progress of the Nutrition in the City Ecosystems (NICHE) Project, implemented in Bungoma and Busia Counties.
Orphan (or minor) crops are crops which are typically not traded internationally. They are indigenous and invariably grown by small and marginal farmers under subsistence farming systems.
Finger millet, groundnut, yam, cassava, and others are part of a class of crops often called 'orphan crops' because they tend to receive less attention.
Most of the orphan crops fall into the category of traditional crops which have existed for centuries.
Some high-value orphan vegetables in Kenya include cowpea leaves, jute mallow, pumpkin leaves, amaranth, bacella alba, spider plant, Black nightshade, and Crotalaria.
These vegetables are very rich in elements such as iron, and vitamin C among others. Though not highly embraced, they help in the reduction of malnutrition rates.
In his address, Lusaka urged the national government to increase funding for food security initiatives to combat hunger.
He also advocated for both national and county-level agricultural incentives to attract young people to farming and promote the use of technology in agricultural practices.
The meeting was attended by Busia deputy Governor Arthur Odera, Bungoma executives Monica Salano Fedha (Agriculture), Bonventure Chengeck (Roads), David Wamamili (Education), Andrew Wamalwa (Health), and the Sygenta Foundation East Africa team, among others.
