By Jack Ochieng, DevReporter, Siaya County
Key Highlights
- The Siaya County Government promised residents that food shortage would no longer be an issue.
- Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have also played a major role in seeing that Siaya residents achieve food security.
- But the county government needs to do a lot more to complement the work of the NGOs in the area.
Because it is directly connected to food security, agriculture is one of the key sectors that contribute a lot to the achievement of many of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to end poverty and hunger, and promote prosperity as well as people’s wellbeing.
But food insecurity remains a complex and multidimensional global issue because matters relating to consistent access to affordable food and its effective use by people remain a nightmare in many places around the world.
According to Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates, between 2014 and 2016, 793 million people were undernourished worldwide, with a greater number consuming food in levels that were considered inadequate for an active and healthy life.
https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/faoitaly/documents/pdf/pdf_Food_Security_Cocept_Note.pdf
Siaya County’s Call for Action
To ensure food security, the county government of Siaya has promised the residents that food shortage will no longer be an issue because the governor has put strategic plans in place.
Various NGOs are also playing major roles towards ensuring that residents of Siaya County are food secure.
Veronica Adhiambo, 22, a resident of Siaya from Ugunja Sub County, says that this time around, they got seeds and fertilisers on time and ploughing of land was done on time, and therefore she expects a good harvest.
RBNews engaged Emily Achieng, one of the trainers from Rural Energy, an NGO operating within North Gem Ward in Gem Constituency and works to train farmers on enhancing their capacities.
“We gather farmers into groups, train them on new farming techniques, and financial saving thereafter. We help them till the land, give them seeds, fertilizers and even advise them on how to do top dressing,” she said.
Banana Project
Residents have teamed up with schools like Mbaga Mixed Primary School within Siaya County to start an Integrated Community Development Programme (ICDEP), which teaches pupils to plant one banana per a term.
The project aims to ensure that no pupil goes hungry, especially during the bananas harvesting season.
RBNews spoke to Vivain Okoth, an area resident, who said that the project has helped several students since its inception. She was grateful that the county government has come to their aid and ensured that the project runs smoothly.
Way Forward
However, while speaking to RBNews, Christopher Nyakan, a food security and soil science expert, said that a lot still needs to be done by the county government especially in guiding the work being done by NGOs in the area.
He expressed worry that these organisations often exit without advance notice, a situation that jeopardises the different interventions on food security, he said
“I am worried because NGOs often leave the country without notice and no exit plan, and hence their work lacks consistency. There is therefore need for proper structures to help in guiding NGOs’ exit strategies.”
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https://www.kenyanews.go.ke/siaya-county-government-keen-on-assuring-food-security/
