by Yvonne Sampoda, Kenya, 11 October 1997
THEME = FAMINE
Like his father before him, Mariku Onyach carried on the family tradition of being a ploughman. His skills were in high demand in the Homa Bay area of Nyanza province. That was until drought struck the region. Now, Onyach continues to hope that very soon the rains will fall and help salvage the second-season maize crop, which has already started to wilt for lack of adequate rain.
In the first three months of the year, Kenya experienced a severe drought that prompted President Moi to declare a National Famine Disaster. The declaration was meant to assist in facilitating food imports, especially after the government realised that the country's food-stocks had gone down. The declaration also allowed the finance minister, Mr.Musalia Mudavadi, to waive Value Added Tax (VAT) on food stuffs like maize, rice, milk and other essential foodstuffs, earmarked to feed the people in the affected areas.
Today, in Kenya, 30 districts out of the total 62, benefit from the Famine Relief Programme (FRP). The breakdown is as follows: 3 districts in North Eastern Province; 12 districts in Eastern Province; 11 districts in the Rift Valley; 4 in the Central Province. Though Nyanza Province has none of its districts under the Famine Relief Programme, there are pockets of the very poor who are without food. Most districts in Nyanza are considered to have high agricultural potential.
Farmers were expecting some rain in September, but the short rains failed to come, and hope of covering the deficit in foodstocks from the short-season harvest now seems unattainable. Farmers like Onyach have nothing left except to trust in blind faith, and have now planted in the hope that the rains will fall at the right time for the coming full season.
Weather forecasts indicate that the country still expects continued dry weather conditions and this is beginning to create panic amongst farmers.
Agricultural experts estimate the following: based on a 90kg bag, an adult requires between 1.5 to 2.0 bags of maize per year. Likewise based on a 90 kg bag, an adult requires 0.21 bag of beans per year.
This year, Nyamira considered to be one of the "bread- basket" districts, had 22,600 hectares of land under maize; 12,000 hectares under beans; 90 hectares under Sorghum; 2,150 hectares of finger millet; 770 hectares under sweet potatoes; 25 hectares under Irish potatoes - to feed its population of almost 500,000. Based on a 90 kg bag, the harvest resulted in 750,000 bags of maize. This is a food deficit of 92,700 bags of maize in Nyamira alone.
According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation's (FAO) quarterly Newsletter: "Food Supply and Crop Prospects in Sub- Sahara Africa", food requirements in Kenya have fallen short by 721,000 tons, with the country needing to import urgently 268,000 tons of maize. The report says that the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa will need food aid of about 2 million tons.
Earlier on this year, the government initiated the Drought Recovery Programme, in which farmers were given seedlings and fertilizer to be used in replanting, especially in areas where crops had been completely destroyed by the drought.
At the same time, most of these affected are beginning to develop survival skills, as in the Machakos and Kitui areas of Eastern Province. Here, farmers are now offering their labour in return for food, especially maize, a staple food for the majority of Kenyans.
Front-line agricultural experts are also promoting the planting of root plants such as potatoes, cassava, arrow roots and yams which are considered to be drought-resistant. They are also encouraging farmers to use certified seeds and modern farming methods to ensure higher yields. At the same time, farmers are being encouraged to diversify their crops and promote diversified foods.
In Kenya, the agricultural sector earns the country 60% of its Foreign Exchange and contributes about 30% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It's clear that the present drought conditions, will have far-reaching effects for most Kenyans. A study done by the United Nations Environmental Programme UNEP, revealed that the driest 10% of the year in Kenya, resulted in reduced crop yields of between 30% to 70%.
Kenya seems to be slipping backwards in the Human Development Report placings. In 1996 it came 128 out of the 174 countries listed. This year, 1997, Kenya has been placed 134 out of the 174 countries listed. It is estimated that about 41% of Kenyans (Kenya's estimated population is 12.6 million) live below the poverty line. Of these, 7 million are classified as living in "abject poverty" and the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen.
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