A boy put his hand into a pitcher full of filberts. He grasped as many as he could possibly hold, but when he tried to pull out his hand, he was prevented from doing so by the neck of the pitcher.
Unwilling to lose his filberts, and yet unable to withdraw his hand, he burst into tears and bitterly lamented his disappointment. A bystander said to him, “Be satisfied with half the quantity, and you will readily draw out your hand.”
There are many things that Kenyans are looking forward to with the next government, nationally and at the county level. As the fable teaches us, maybe it is time to focus on specific issues and solve them one at a time instead of taking up the full weight.
Let’s start by giving credit where it’s due, Agriculture CS Peter Munya has done a commendable job at the ministry since his appointment. American agricultural chemist Samuel Johnson once said; “Agriculture not only gives riches to a nation, but the only riches she can call her own.”
Since Independence, agriculture has been the greatest contributor to the Kenyan economy both as a catalyst internally and as an export earner. Former President Moi prioritised agriculture and made the lives of farmers easy.
Food was cheaply available, Kenyans went back to their farms to increase productivity and being a farmer was a respectable profession, and farmers were the wealthiest in local communities. Where did the rain start to beat us?
Over the years, many Kenyans have not looked at agriculture as a key feature of the economy to ensure jobs are created and the country is food secure. Many young people do not consider farming worth their time.
The government has also failed to invest enough in agriculture in relation to not only ensuring that farming makes sense but also making it easy to engage in the sector. This has made farm inputs very expensive thus making agriculture a very costly affair for many Kenyans.
Food security must be prioritised. We must be a food powerhouse dominating production, exports and value addition across the continent. In addition, we must look at agriculture as a key source of employment.
No Kenyan should sleep hungry in a country that has had agriculture as a key preoccupation since before Independence.
To achieve food security and improved nutrition, Kenya must focus on three broad areas, namely: Enhancing large-scale production, boosting smallholder productivity, and reducing the cost of food.
Data shows that agriculture dominates the economy with 70 per cent of the country’s workforce in the sector, which contributes up to 25 per cent of GDP. In addition, our major exports are agricultural-based such as tea, coffee, cut flowers and even vegetables, which have a growing market.
This, therefore, shows that agriculture can create jobs and help young people earn a living if we focus on it. Young people need more sensitisation about the sector and its benefits to individuals and the country. This would go a long way in helping achieve this goal.
It is time the government – both at the national and county level – came up with a youth in agriculture marshal plan to help more young people get into agriculture as a means of earning a living.
Kenya has about 20 per cent of arable land but currently, only eight per cent is being used for agricultural production. More land can be put under irrigation and the country can invest more in greenhouses.
Lastly, as the government seeks to create more opportunities for young people in agriculture, efforts to kill cartels must be doubled. These cartels have over the years denied farmers their rightful earnings and the country must work hard to kill them.
Middlemen have exploited both the government and the farmers to reap where they have not sown, making it difficult to grow agri-business. It is not right for middlemen to make it hard for farmers to directly access markets, as has been the case.
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