Editorials
Invest in irrigation to break food crisis cycle
Friday August 04 2023
President William Ruto addressing the nation at State House, Nairobi on August 2, 2023. PHOTO | LUCY WANJIRU | NMG
The food crisis in Kenya triggered by the latest wave of global supply shocks, as some of the world’s biggest food exporters enforce protectionist policies, should serve as a painful reminder to policymakers of the folly of supporting the importation of cheaper products while killing local production.
India, for instance, has banned the export of rice, which is likely to disrupt the supply of the commodity into Kenya.
Wheat prices are also likely to come under pressure after Russia, which is at war with Ukraine, recently pulled out of an agreement that allowed the export of Ukrainian agricultural goods via the Black Sea.
These global supply shocks have increased the prices of Kenya’s critical staples, including rice, wheat, maize, sugar and even onions.
The fact that Kenya cannot find sufficient stocks of cereals and sugar from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) is making a bad situation worse.
The government’s support to producers through subsidised fertiliser suggests it is taking the food crisis seriously.
This subsidy should be scaled up and the government must ensure it eliminates the last mile challenges that have made some farmers miss out on the fertiliser.
But this can only serve as a stop-gap measure since it is dependent on unpredictable rainfall.
This is the time for Kenya to change its story and invest heavily and sustainably in irrigation to shield her population from a full-blown food crisis, whose consequences will be deadly.
