• About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Kenyan Business Feed
  • Home
  • African
  • News
    • Agribusiness
    • Courts
    • Hospitality
    • Manufacturing
  • Education
  • Health
  • Reports & Analysis
  • World Business
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • African
  • News
    • Agribusiness
    • Courts
    • Hospitality
    • Manufacturing
  • Education
  • Health
  • Reports & Analysis
  • World Business
No Result
View All Result
Kenyan Business Feed
No Result
View All Result
Home News

ATAMBA: The crucial role of food diversity in nutritional

Kenyan Business Feed by Kenyan Business Feed
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

[ad_1]

Table of Contents

Toggle
        • Columnists
  • The crucial role of food diversity in nutritional security
Columnists

The crucial role of food diversity in nutritional security

Wednesday, May 22, 2019 20:24


By EMMANUEL ATAMBA |

emergency food aid
Millions of Kenyans depend on emergency food aid. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

The human right to food is yet to be fully realised in Kenya. More than 10 million Kenyans suffer from chronic food insecurity. One-quarter of children under five years old are stunted. Millions of Kenyans depend on emergency food aid and one in five families would not meet the minimum food requirement even if they spent all their income on food.

Additionally, obesity and diet-related diseases are on the rise in Kenya, raising questions on the diversity, safety and quality of the food.

Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity for food and agriculture is a viable approach in addressing the food and nutritional security problems in Kenya.

This position is informed by the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture Report released in February 2019, amongst other resources.

The compilation of 91 country reports – Kenya included – concludes that Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture (BFA) is declining worldwide, and calls for concerted efforts to prevent further decline.

In the report, FAO secretary -general, José Graziano da Silva highlights the importance of BFA in achieving zero hunger, food and nutrition security for all and urges efforts to conserve BFA for realisation of the aspirations of a food secure world and sustainable food systems.

The report identifies pollution, use of external inputs, trade and market forces among key drivers of biodiversity loss. Further, it points out significant negative impacts of the two drivers on animal and plant genetic resources, associated biodiversity, ecosystem services and wild foods against different production systems.

Plant and animal genetic resources and associated biodiversity in mixed farming systems also face decline with strong negative effects coming from all drivers of biodiversity loss studied in the report.

Pollination, among other ecosystem services was also reported to be negatively affected by pollution and use of external inputs. Pollination, pest and disease regulation, nutrient and water cycling which are important in sustaining agricultural productivity and healthy agro-ecosystems were reported to be declining.

Kenya’s farming system has for the past four decades moved towards a more industrial model of production. This model, in many ways, downplays the role of biodiversity and it is functioning in enhancing agricultural productivity, food quality, dietary diversity and the resilience of farms and food systems to shocks.

The approach has led to a significant loss of agricultural and associated biodiversity.

The continued disregard of BFA components and their resultant exposure to risks of further loss poses a substantial risk to agro-ecosystems and resilience of communities to climate change and in turn, affect food production and access.

This deepens the vulnerability of Kenyans to chronic hunger and malnutrition and undermines the realisation of the Right to Food in Kenya, which is provided for in Article 43 of the Constitution.

The writer is Route to Food Initiative youth ambassador.

[ad_2]

Source link


Kenyan Business Feed is the top Kenyan Business Blog. We share news from Kenya and across the region. To contact us with any alert, please email us to [email protected]
Kenyan Business Feed

Kenyan Business Feed

Recommended.

Safaricom says scanner rollout plan on course

Safaricom says scanner rollout plan on course

June 9, 2019
Taking BOC Bull By the Horns

Taking BOC Bull By the Horns

June 7, 2019

Subscribe.

Trending.

Tourism CS Rebecca Miano announces new measures at Maasai Mara, including ranger deployments, clearer signage, and public education following a viral tourist incident.

Government Tightens Maasai Mara Rules After Viral Tourist Clip

August 26, 2025
Safaricom launches B Live, a first of its kind service allowing customers to buy internet access by the hour, offering flexible one hour three hour and six hour bundles for students creators and professionals.

Safaricom Expands Digital Options with Innovative B Live Product That Adapts to Different Usage Habits

August 21, 2025

Co-op Bank Empowers Over 249,000 Kenyan MSMEs with Loans and Training

August 21, 2025
PLP and Safaricom Graduate 300 Youth in Push for Digital Talent Development Across Kenya

PLP and Safaricom Graduate 300 Youth to Boost Kenya’s Digital Talent Pipeline

June 23, 2025

Co-op Bank Branches in Nairobi and Their Contacts

March 3, 2025
Kenyan Business Feed

We focus on news, analysis, and reports about Kenyan business, covering sectors like agriculture, finance, tourism, and technology.

Categories

  • African
  • Agribusiness
  • Courts
  • Education
  • Health
  • Hospitality
  • Manufacturing
  • NetWorths
  • News
  • Reports & Analysis
  • World Business

Popular News

  • First look at the prison where El Chapo may live for the rest of his life

    First look at the prison where El Chapo may live for the rest of his life

    2157 shares
    Share 1040 Tweet 466
  • Sameer Africa CEO Sacked

    1804 shares
    Share 750 Tweet 439

Recent News

Tourism CS Rebecca Miano announces new measures at Maasai Mara, including ranger deployments, clearer signage, and public education following a viral tourist incident.

Government Tightens Maasai Mara Rules After Viral Tourist Clip

August 26, 2025

Co-op Bank Empowers Over 249,000 Kenyan MSMEs with Loans and Training

August 21, 2025
  • Home
  • African
  • News
  • Education
  • Health
  • Reports & Analysis
  • World Business

© 2025 KBF

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • African
  • News
    • Agribusiness
    • Courts
    • Hospitality
    • Manufacturing
  • Education
  • Health
  • Reports & Analysis
  • World Business

© 2025 KBF