The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has raised a red flag about a looming increase in food insecurity. This is based on a steady increase in the global food prices index that has been occasioned by a number of factors most of which will linger around if the status quo prevails.
The last few years have seen Kenya and other countries in the horn of Africa experience food insecurity. This was instigated by prolonged drought, fanned by desert locust invasion and worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Russia-Ukraine war is further complicating things; tilting the scale against food security efforts. At consumer level, this has affected the supply of wheat and maize, among other agricultural products. Wheat and maize constitute a good percentage of our staple food, already prices of these commodities are soaring. At production level, fertiliser and other farm inputs have suffered reduced supply and there is likely to be a negative impact on how much food we shall be able to produce in the coming days.
Our population is growing and this automatically means more mouths to feed and a subsequent task of producing more food. According to FAO, it is projected that Africa will have the fastest urban growth in the world. Currently, 472 million people live in African cities and this number is expected to grow to 810 million people by 2035 and double by 2050. This will certainly put pressure on urban food systems that are already struggling with food safety and scarcity on one end and food wastage on the other amid increasing food prices.
Rural to urban migration is another concern. There is a growing concern that rural areas might lose a significant share of their young and educated labour force as our farmers age. This movement also significantly affects urban food systems as these immigrants immediately transform to consumers from producers; increasing demand for food in the urban areas and subsequently food prices. This situation also affects the rural-urban food system linkages.
From a gender perspective, migration of men out of rural areas increases women’s agricultural workload and responsibilities. This is further exacerbated by the fact that women have unequal access to financial, technical and social resources and within the context of migration, gender equality and women’s empowerment are crucial.
Women who are mostly involved in agricultural production still face the challenge of land ownership. Through research, FAO has reported that if rural women in developing countries, such as Kenya, had the same access to productive resources as men in terms of labour, technology and knowledge, they could increase yields on their farms by 20–30 percent. This could raise the total agricultural output in developing countries by 2.5–4.0 per cent, which could, in turn, reduce the number of the hungry in the world by 12–17 percent.
Productivity differences that correspond to income gaps between agriculture and other sectors of the economy, such as manufacturing and services, have given rise to rural-to-urban migration that stimulates the process of urbanisation and results in a decline in the share of agriculture in both GDP and employment.
Despite this grim picture; there is more that can be achieved toward food and nutrition security. Recently Kenya hosted the Ninth Africities summit in Kisumu that brought together policymakers drawn from around Africa. The theme of the conference was: 'The role of intermediary cities in Africa in the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the African Union Agenda 2063'.
FAO held a special session on feeding intermediary cities. It emerged that how food is produced, processed, consumed and disposed of influences urban development in small, intermediary and metropolitan cities. Local action for sustainable food systems transformation is key to success in transforming food systems at all levels. Local governments and urban administrations can be the first port of call for action on sustainable food systems.
Intermediary cities constitute the hub for 'middle level' activities and services along the food chain (logistics, transport, collection points and wholesale markets) which connect rural farmers to food production points in larger cities and consumption points both at national level and beyond.
It is a great milestone that the FAO Framework for the Urban Food Agenda – has been adopted by FAO’s intergovernmental committees. Kenya in collaboration with FAO is currently implementing this through several projects in Kisumu and Nairobi that aim at improving access to nutritious and healthy diets.
It is emerging that indeed small actions within food systems have a potential for great impact. For example, a recently concluded study in Marsabit county on the impact of Livestock Programming on Nutritional Improvement in Children under five found that children in households that had access to livestock feed during dry seasons consume 200ml more milk per day than those without access to livestock feed.
Milk consumption and dietary diversity are enhanced further with integration of nutrition education in livestock programmes and this translated to 11 per cent reduction in risk of acute malnutrition.
Being a knowledge organisation, FAO is employing research in food systems. We are monitoring the behaviour of prices of foods, especially those that form an important diet for the poor. This informs adjustments to interventions like the unconditional cash transfers.
These findings are being used to build capacities of communities on adoptive and innovative urban agriculture practices to boost their incomes, and food and nutrition security.
Urban and peri-urban agriculture is one key entry point for promoting the systemic approach. We must promote sustainable food waste management. Working with the government, FAO is supporting women street food vendors identified through women's associations to improve their business skills in Kisumu and Nairobi.
The worsening food insecurity situation has necessitated a scale-up resource mobilisation by humanitarian organisations to avert a food crisis. FAO is currently looking at long-term solutions that emphasise resilience-building while intervening in the current emergencies.
Ambassador Carla Mucavi is FAO Kenya Representative
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