{"id":6215,"date":"2019-11-11T11:27:31","date_gmt":"2019-11-11T08:27:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kessff-kenya.org\/?post_type=news&p=6215"},"modified":"2019-11-11T11:27:34","modified_gmt":"2019-11-11T08:27:34","slug":"improving-small-scale-farmer-income-is-vital-to-achieving-food-security","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/kessff-kenya.org\/?news=improving-small-scale-farmer-income-is-vital-to-achieving-food-security","title":{"rendered":"Improving small-scale farmer income is vital to achieving food security"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

achieving 100 per cent food and nutrition security in Kenya requires optimal investment in transforming the country\u2019s agriculture sector into a modern, vibrant and profitable national undertaking. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of significance is the role of the small-scale farmer in the whole equation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To transform farming in Kenya, we have to empower small-scale agricultural producers to generate sustainable income and livelihood from crops, livestock and fisheries. This means allocating resources to areas where maximum impact will be felt along the entire agriculture value chain. Priority should be given to projects that boost productivity and unlock value addition opportunities such as processing. The road map for transforming Kenya\u2019s agriculture sector is clearly articulated in the Agriculture Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy (ASTGS 2019-2029), which offers a comprehensive view of how the country aims to transform and modernize the sector. This should be read together with the National Agriculture Investment Plan (NAIP) outlining how the strategy will be funded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to NAIP, the implementation of ASTGS will cost between Ksh \n400-440 billion in the five years to 2024. Of this, Ksh 230 billion will\n be directly channeled through the ministry of agriculture. The rest \nwill be allocated to other government agencies providing support \ninfrastructure like roads and energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is indeed a colossal amount of money,. Notably, the government \nplans to finance only 20 per cent of the estimated cost, with the \nbalance sourced from the private sector. In fact, ASTGS emphasizes that \npublic-private partnerships (PPPs) will be critical in delivering \nsuccessful outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, given risks like perennial drought, high cost of inputs and \ncheap imports plaguing the sector, will private investors play ball? \nWhat is in it for them? Where does the small-scale farmer come into the \npicture? And where will all this money be going?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The transformation strategy identifies six flagships four of which \ndirectly touch on improving small-scale farmer incomes and increasing \nagricultural output and value addition. The key to success is \non-boarding the private sector as a driver of the value addition process\n which will in turn stimulate production by both small and large-scale \nfarmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Available estimates show 75 per cent of the food produced in Kenya is\n consumed at the household level. This is a strong indicator of the \npotential for creating sustainable livelihoods for small-scale farmers \nwho account for the bulk of the country\u2019s crop, livestock and fisheries \nproduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under Flagship 1, for instance, the government plans to boost the \nincomes of 1 million small-scale producers of crops, livestock and \nfisheries. This partly involves strengthening the agro-processing and \nvalue addition capacity of over 1,000 farmer-facing SMEs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are opportunities here for private sector. Of the Ksh 230 \nbillion to be channeled directly through the ministry of agriculture, \nfor instance, about half of it will go into putting up agro-processing \nhubs mostly factories, with private sector playing a leading role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposed agro-processing hubs, to be established across the \ncountry, will open opportunities for small scale farmers to ramp up \nproduction to meet demand for produce by processors, thus earning more \nmoney. Small-scale farmers, if properly integrated into the value chain,\n are critical to the sustainability of Kenya\u2019s agriculture sector, and \nchanging the way we do farming in this country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ideal starting point is creating incentives for small-scale \nproducers to expand production and partner with processors and other \nplayers in the value addition chain. From a private investor \nperspective, reliable supply of produce is vital to sustaining value \naddition activities such as processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Efficient support infrastructure such as roads (linking farms to \nfactories and markets) and energy (powering processing, storage \nfacilities) must also be in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The transformation and growth strategy also emphasizes capacity \nbuilding through transfer of knowledge and skills, research and adoption\n of climate-smart farming. Again, opportunities for private sector \nplayers such as ICT firms in a data-driven agricultural environment are \nimmense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All these interventions if well executed will have a strong, positive\n bearing on small-scale farmers by increasing efficiency and returns. \nThe government should however explore tax incentives for farmers, \nprocessors and input suppliers to make agriculture more attractive. \nUnfavorable trade terms that fuel the influx of cheap food imports into \nthe domestic market should also be tackled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, considering the economic, fiscal and social impact of ASTGS, there is need for comprehensive stakeholder involvement at every level of the implementation process. Also, the ministry of agriculture needs to roll out an aggressive awareness campaign targeting all actors in the value chain<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written by: Kingori Chotto<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read original<\/a> artcile <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

achieving 100 per cent food and nutrition security in Kenya requires optimal investment in transforming the country\u2019s agriculture sector into a modern, vibrant and profitable national undertaking. Of significance is the role of the small-scale farmer in the whole equation. To transform farming in Kenya, we have to empower small-scale agricultural producers to generate sustainable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"news-category":[9],"class_list":["post-6215","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","news-category-latest-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kessff-kenya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/news\/6215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kessff-kenya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kessff-kenya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kessff-kenya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kessff-kenya.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kessff-kenya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/news\/6215\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kessff-kenya.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kessff-kenya.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6215"},{"taxonomy":"news-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kessff-kenya.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fnews-category&post=6215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}