Experts in bid to solve food crisis

Local scientists are discussing several ways of solving the current food crisis in the country.

They are researching on how to breed more chicks from ostrich eggs and new methods of increasing breeding among cattle. These would help increase food, milk and poultry products in the country to avert food crises.

The two technologies are among some over 50 studies to be presented in the next three days during the sixth biennial scientific conference of the University of Nairobi’s College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences.

Poor quality

“Apart from low food quantities reported across the country, it is also of poor quality in terms of critical nutrients. Already some parts of the country are reporting high cases of food deficiency related illnesses such as marasmus, kwashiorkor and scurvy. This is where animal products can be deployed,” says Dr S.G. Kiama, chairman Department of Veterinary and Physiology at the University of Nairobi.

While commercial ostrich farmers may be happy to learn what ails their enterprise, with egg losses as high as 60 per cent, butchers selling undeclared, dog, donkey or even game meat will be disappointed when scientists unveil a new technology which they claim can accurately identifying the meat by species even when off-bone.

The conference will be opened on Wednesday by the Minister for Livestock Development, Dr Mohammed Kuti, at Kabete campus.

At the same time, Kenya has been asked to adopt modern scientific farming methods to increase food production.

Environment minister John Michuki said livestock husbandry and food crop farming were faced with vagaries of alternating floods and drought.
“We need, for example, to harvest the abundant water available during high rainfall seasons and flooding for irrigation and electricity generation,’’ Mr Michuki said.

The minister criticised politicians who were politicising the destruction of Mau Forest, which was an important water catchment area by supporting farmers who were currently engaged in farming activities.

He was speaking when he opened the African Economic Research Consortium meeting on natural resource management and climate change in sub-Saharan Africa at the InterContinental Hotel, Nairobi.