Kenyan Organic Farmers Request Government Support

By Sarah Mwangi 

As Kenya faces one of its worst droughts in a decade, organic farmers in Kenya are calling for support from the government to meet the country's need for food. 

Speaking at the 1st Eastern Africa Agroecology Conference held in Nairobi, Biovision Africa Trust Executive Director Dr. David Amudavi said Agroecology plays a key role in the eradication of hunger, extreme poverty and as a road map to an inclusive food system.

The event brought together organizations and organic farmers who are pushing for the support and implementation of agroecology-oriented policies from the government and key stakeholders and working on joint initiatives to generate and disseminate knowledge and market systems development.

Fredrick Ochieng, the Project Manager at Farmer Communication Programme, mentioned that government subsidies covering organic fertilizers and farm products will play a key role as the country works towards attaining food security.

Cosmas Ochieng is a farmer and an organic fertilizer producer under Ecofix Kenya. Cosmas urged farmers to adopt the use of organic fertilizers produced locally as they are chemical free, rich in carbon, and thus restore the structure of soils and with healthy soils give farmers more healthy produce with a lower cost of production.

In the 2022/23 supplementary budget the fertilizer subsidy program was allocated ksh.14 billion to stabilize its prices. Players in the farming industry are now urging the government to consider subsidizing organic fertilizer to increase its production.

Venancia Wambua, the Project Manager at Ecological Organic Agriculture, said fertilizers deplete the soil, but organic fertilizers enrich soils thus increasing productivity for farmers, hence the organic sector needs more support even for posterity.

Sustainable development goal number two aims to end hunger, achieve food security with improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. Daniel Wanjama the director of Seed savers Network Kenya says organic farmers must also be supported to ensure local varieties of seeds do not become extinct.

Wanjama further noted that indigenous seeds face the threat of extinction as Kenya imports huge amounts of seeds for huge commercial farming.

Dr. David Amudavi Biovision Africa Trust Executive Director alluded to the need for social movements, coalitions, associations,  and the government working together in the transformation of food systems.