- Linturi said that Kenya has made strides in the attainment of food and nutrition security.
- Linturi said that food is fundamental to life, a human right as well as a cultural issue.
Image: Mithika Linturi/X
Agriculture and Livestock Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi on Thursday presided over the pre-Madaraka Day exhibitions event at Kibabii University, Bungoma.
During the event, Linturi said that the agricultural sector stands as a cornerstone of the global economy, supporting diverse communities and millions of families worldwide.
"The Agricultural landscape in Kenya, much like that of many African countries, is predominantly subsistence and smallholder-based," Linturi told exhibitors on Thursday.
Linturi said that Kenya has made strides in the attainment of food and nutrition security amidst a growing population coupled with challenges emanating from climate change, low soil fertility, and inadequate adoption of agricultural technologies.
"Emergence of new transboundary pests and diseases, limited access to high-quality inputs and high post-harvest losses among others have continued to be significant impediment factors to the realization of this goal," Linturi said.
Linturi said that food is fundamental to life, a human right as well as a cultural issue.
"Food underpins global trade. The complexity of global food chain supply and trade pose a challenge to food security and safety implementation," he said.
Thursday's event comes ahead of the June 1 Madaraka Day celebrations which are themed around Agriculture and food security.
President William Ruto will preside over the 61st Madaraka Day National Celebrations in Bungoma.
Thursday's exhibition on improving market access and reduction of post-harvest losses is a curtain raiser for the Madaraka Day celebrations.
The ministry has said that post-harvest losses are a major contributor to declining food security in the country.
Estimated losses range between 30-40 per cent, translating to a loss of Sh72 billion annually across diverse value chains.
The ministry with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is developing a post-harvest management strategy.
The ministry is also conducting awareness and sensitization campaigns on post-harvest loss management to the public at varied tiered levels starting from wards, sub-county, county, and national levels.
The strategy targets to reduce post-harvest losses by 50 per cent by 2025.
So far the Ministry has distributed 100 mobile grain dryers to curb post-harvest losses in 15 main maize-growing counties.
The ministry has also commissioned 359 units of 3,000-liter capacity bulk milk coolers and accessories to 46 counties.
The interventions aim to reduce post-harvest losses in the dairy industry.
The market infrastructure for farmers has also remained underdeveloped, according to the ministry.
"However, my ministry is working on ensuring we promote and facilitate agricultural trade and marketing of high-quality agricultural products in the domestic, regional and international markets at competitive prices," Linturi said on Thursday.