Traditional crops key to food security

• Cassava, millet among those that can fill yawning gap

With 4.5 million Kenyans living off food aid from the government and the World Food Programme, the State is giving a closer look at traditional crops more than before.

The number of people in need of food relief is estimated to rise to 6.5 million shortly, according to the government.

As part of a number of measures announced by Agriculture minister William Ruto to alleviate hunger, Kenya has set aside Sh316 million to provide seeds for traditional crops to farmers during the next rainfall season.

These crops include sorghum, millet, cassava, sweet potatoes and traditional vegetables.

Suspicion

Many Kenyans view any crops other than maize with a degree of suspicion to the extent that farmers would rather gamble on the chance of good rains rather than plant a non-maize crop.

“Traditional crops lost the battle to maize because maize, especially its flour is easily available and easier to cook,” Cereal Growers Association chief executive David Nyameino said.

He said the government should not only support traditional crops, it should also create demand and offer incentives to encourage farmers to plant them.

Create demand

“We have seen the government distribute maize as food aid in North Eastern Province in a place where traditionally people eat rice,” he told Sunday Business. “If we dry cassava, mix it with maize then grind it and give it out, we will be creating demand for cassava.”

Mr Nyameino said the government should shore up demand for other forms of food besides maize such as sweet potatoes, cassava, beans and peas.

“By this we are not taking away the demand for maize but we are creating demand for other foods such as sorghum and millet,” he said.

United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation says that while past pricing policies in some countries encouraged the production of just one crop, maize, this was always a risky approach.

“Depending on just maize for income was not a good tactic for farmers, particularly in areas subject to drought. Depending solely on maize is even more risky when marketing is liberalised,” FAO says in its A Guide to Maize Marketing for Extension Officers publication.

It advises farmers to grow more than just maize. FAO says that extension workers should now be telling farmers to start diversifying with crops which used to be grown in the area before maize price subsidies were introduced.