Systematic analysis needed to reduce post-harvest losses

Kenya continues to face challenges in its food production and this has impacted on food security.

The main staple crops are maize, wheat, rice, sorghum and Irish potatoes. Annual maize production is about 40 million bags. This amount is sufficient only for human consumption leaving about one million bags which is insufficient for industrial processing, seeds, animal feeds and no strategic reserves. This is a clear indication Kenya does not produce enough food to meet its needs.

Maize is Kenya’s most important crop. It is grown on about 2.1 million hectares of land. Ministry of Agriculture data for 2011 indicates that maize accounts for more than 51 per cent of all staples grown in the country.

The annual maize demand is between 38 million and 51 million bags based on per capita consumption of between 72 and 98 kg per person per year.

The average national yields are about 1.67 tons per hectare compared to yields of up to 6 tons per hectare in the developed countries. Since 1994, maize consumption has outstripped production and Kenya has to meet the deficit through imports.

INDISPENSABLE IDEA

The formulation of a strategy to pursue sustainable maize production in Kenya is indispensable mainly because of the scarcity of good agricultural land and rapid population growth. Unfortunately, more than 75 per cent of maize area is cultivated by more than 3.5 million small-scale farmers (owning less than 5 acres), who produce more than 65 per cent of the maize consumed in the country. Maize is produced for both home consumption and market – with small-scale farmers only selling an estimated 20 per cent of their production. It is noteworthy to state that small scale farmers are net buyers of maize. They produce little, sell it all to the market and eventually buy it from the market.

Over time, there has been little yield gains in Kenya with the highest production levels being reported in 1982, 1986 and 1996. Yields gains have dropped by 1kg per ha per year between 1980 and 2013 and if the same trend continues we expect gross maize output to decline over time.

Productivity of maize in Kenya stagnated during the period from 2000 to 2013. Drought is one important factor that has led to this state of affair; the appearance of MLND (Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease) in 2011 further constrained maize production in Kenya

NECESSARY INPUT

The majority of small-scale farmers are resource-poor and unable to access necessary input in adequate amounts. Lack of market information and post-harvest losses also pose threat to food security. Also, due to constraints in seed multiplication, the country does not have sufficient stocks of improved seeds demanded by farmers despite having over 250 improved maize seed varieties released.

One innovative strategy that the government came up with to improve food production was the fertiliser subsidy program targeting small-scale farmers. The program was an indirect way of making fertiliser available to farmers at an affordable price. This has not been achieved and earlier studies at Tegemeo showed that only 9 per cent of the targeted small-scale farmers accessed it in 2014.

A Tegemeo research established that the gains per bag is between 11 and 12 per cent of the cost of production for small scale and large scale farming during the 2015 production year. These gains are much lower compared with the procurement cost of the fertiliser and the hustle of getting it. In any case, the fertiliser originally meant for resource-poor farmers has often ended up being used by the large scale farmers who are able to purchase from the private market. Equally, the government has not lifted the ban on GMO since there are a number of issues to be sorted out before the effects of these innovations on human beings are fully known.

TOTAL OUTPUT

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, post-harvest losses account for 40 per cent of the total output. This agrees with Food and Agricultural Organization reports for developing countries. Causes of post-harvest losses for smallholder farmers include lack of resources, inadequate access to better processing facilities, weather, poor production practices or planning, bad transportation facilities and lack of infrastructure, premature harvesting, lack of access to good quality packaging materials and technology, inadequate market systems all lead to increased post-harvest losses.

There is no one size-fits-all technology. To reduce post-harvest losses for maize, a systematic analysis of the crop's production and handling system is the logical first step in identifying an appropriate strategy. It would also need a cost-benefit analysis to determine the return-on-investments in the recommended post-harvest technologies. The technologies that are selected for each enterprise must be appropriate for their sizes. The interventions must be sensitive to local conditions and practices, be viewed within a value chain lens, and ensure appropriate economic incentives are in place.

Marketing companies and cooperatives are essential for handling produce and reducing losses by providing facilities for accumulating, preparing and transporting produce to markets by coordinating marketing activities and by distributing profits equitably to members.

Dr Dennis Otieno is a researcher at Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development.

[email protected]