By Cece Siago | siagocece@gmail.com
Senior government officials have warned that weak implementation of farming policies is leaving millions vulnerable to hunger, calling for a shift from policy design to delivery in Africa’s food systems.
The call came during a retreat in Limuru, nearly 50km to the west of Nairobi where Permanent Secretaries, policy makers and technical partners from more than a dozen countries met to discuss how to strengthen agriculture and food security across the continent.
The meeting comes as millions face drought, hunger and poor harvests due to climate impacts, increasing the risk of food insecurity across Africa.
Speaking during the retreat, AGRA President Alice Ruhweza said the agricultural challenge in Africa was not about designing policies, but delivering them.
“The problem is not policy or strategy. The problem is about policy and strategy implementation,” she said.
She said although most policies were well designed, they often lacked financing, coordination and institutional alignment needed to translate them into tangible outcomes for farmers.
She further called for greater alignment between financing and policy ambition, stronger institutional coordination and deeper engagement with technical partners, the private sector and regional actors.
Kenya’s Agriculture Principal Secretary, Dr Kipronoh Ronoh said the country was committed to transform its agriculture through strong partnerships and government led execution.
He said Kenya is investing in climate resilient crops, restoring soil health and expanding irrigation in most vulnerable regions and strengthening livestock systems.
Part of the strategy also involved harnessing digital technology to put better decisions in the hands of farmers.
So far, 7.2 million farmers have been registered in the Kenya Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (KIAMIS).
On his part, Irrigation Principal Secretary Ephantus Kimotho said the country is banking on irrigation in a bid to reduce the billions of shillings spent on importation of food.
He said Kenya targets to put 3.5 million acres of land under irrigation to boost food production, and reduce the country’s import bill currently estimated at USD 4 million.
He noted that the plan is targeting investments of up to sh600 billion as part of the resources needed to unlock transformation of irrigation.
“A corporate agribusiness approach is essential, where government invests in enabling infrastructure and the private sector drives mechanization and innovation,” he said adding that leveraging on blended finance models would address current shrinking development financing.
Stakeholders further called on improving data use and coordination, mechanizing seed systems and value chain integration in order to strengthen delivery systems.
They further called for deeper private sector engagement, more effective financing models and continued cross country learning as a means of accelerating implementation.
