Kenya Risks Starvation As Food Security Deteriorates In Africa

Africa’s food security will only be secured if the continent takes a turn around in its preparedness and wins the fight against corruption lest there will be overwhelming starvation by the year 2030.

The worrying rise in food security in Africa reveals a glim future that will make it difficult for the continent to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Africa needs to relook at itself and take a more sustainable approach in addressing the factors that hold it back if at all it will ensure food security to its inhabitants by the year 2030 which is a decade away.

Corruption has been Africa’s undoing since independence and as years go by it would have been expected to change but, sadly, the situation is deteriorating, ‘each man to himself and God for us all,’ scenario.

Improving food and nutrition security in Africa largely depends on supporting farmers to help increase agricultural productivity and suppleness.

As it stands, there are only seven countries that depict hopes of meeting the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) goal of doubling agricultural productivity by 2025.

Kenya, and East Africa as a whole is threatened and at a high risk of starvation following the change of pattern in climate and the incoming of desert locusts which have resulted into the drying of plants in most parts of the Country.

Climate change has largely disadvantaged Africa and projections of the future reveal Africa especially East Africa is going downhill fast as the frequency of droughts has greatly increased.

Droughts in Africa used to occur in an average of once every 12.5 years between 1982 to 2006 to now 2.5 years between 2007 to 2016.

The now frequent droughts have become not only frequent but more severe and prolonged with increased loss of lives every time they hit.

Technology has redeemed Africa in other aspects of life but it is yet to be fully embraced in agriculture and time is now ripe for technology to rescue a soon-to-be desperate situation in food security in the heavily populated yet corrupted continent.

Read Also Kenya Lifts Ban on Avocado Exports as Prices Soar High

Countries such as Rwanda, however, are taking up technology with a good example being its Land husbandry, water harvesting and Hillside Irrigation project which have all helped control soil erosion and provide better protection from droughts.

Farmers need to be made aware of when to rains are oncoming and remedies for the challenges, they experience during the seasons to help them make informed decisions.

Related Content Foresight Africa: Top priorities for the continent 2020-2030