Food Crisis in Kenya Q and A

Introduction

Early this year, the Kenyan government reported that 10 million people were at risk of starvation and appealed to the international community for help. Last month, they declared a state of emergency.

World Vision partnerships around the globe operate 63 community development programs in Kenya, of which 46 have been impacted by the food crisis.

What caused the food crisis?

For almost two years, rainfall in Kenya has been much lower than usual.
Violence after elections in December, 2007 was so extensive that many are still living in camps for internally displaced people.
Production costs are high due to sharp increases in the cost of fertilizer and fuel.
These costs are passed on to consumers, making food too expensive for most Kenyans (maize is up 80 to 120 per cent).
Kenya typically imports about 200,000 metric tons of maize from Uganda and Tanzania each year, but these countries are now restricting exports.
Maize is easy to grow almost anywhere, so farmers haven’t diversified.
Although rainfall has been adequate in some pastoral areas, some provinces are prone to conflict and markets have been disrupted.
Rampant deforestation contributes to reduced rainfall, poor retention of groundwater, drying up of rivers and reduced capacity for irrigation and energy production.
In urban areas, salaries are volatile or low, a concern in times of inflation and increased food prices.

How have the people in World Vision’s community development programs been affected?

In poorer homes, people are skipping meals or eating less. Many adults are forfeiting meals altogether.
These coping strategies are already having an impact on the nutritional status of children and breastfeeding and pregnant women.
Child malnutrition rates are now higher than usual in most districts.
Due to water scarcity, communities are resorting to harmful water sources, making them vulnerable to water-borne diseases.
School drop-out rates have spiked in locations hard hit by the water and food crisis; the children most acutely affected live in urban informal settlements and or in families with pastoral livelihoods.
In pastoral situations, households are resorting to distress livestock sales to cover food gaps.
Livestock must trek further in search of water and pasture; their bodies are deteriorating and some are dying.
Fewer livestock mean that their products (meat, milk and eggs) are not available for the very young or very old, who cannot migrate with the herds.
Scarce water sources have caused increased conflict in the countryside.
People have tried migrating to urban centers in search of work which is not readily available.

What is World Vision doing to help?

World Vision is partnering with other organizations to help more than 400,000 people.
Programs include food for children and lactating mothers.
Water, agriculture and livestock programs have helped more than 180,000 people so far.

What is the government doing?

Sinking 250 boreholes around the country;
Saving water catchments by relocating thousands of people currently living near Kenya’s biggest water tower;
Extending the importation of maize, duty free, until January, 2010;
Providing free and subsidized fertilizer and seeds to boost production;
Keeping pupils in schools in arid and informal settlements over holidays for continued feeding as food insecurity continue to threaten many households in these areas;
Using wind, thermal and solar means to generate an additional 246 megawatts of power;
Planning to immunize cattle, sheep, goats and donkeys against disease.

Do children need any special protection at this time?

Children are spending more time looking for food and water for themselves and their animals, placing them far from home and the protection of their families.
Children are spending less time in school, some missing completely.
World Vision is closely monitoring these situations.
World Vision is closely monitoring the environment in case child protection issues unfold.

What is World Vision asking governments and world bodies to do?

World Vision calls for the prioritization of children through timely relief responses to children under the age of five, with a focus on prevention of hunger and malnutrition and the implementation of safety net programs. These include:

For children:

Greater support for nutritional programs to combat malnutrition and to prevent and reduce stunting in children under the age of five;
Ensuring there is enough food and diversifying the diets of children;
Strengthening support systems and community structures to ensure that children are not withdrawn from school by their families in order to earn additional income.

Health, nutrition and HIV/AIDS:

World Vision calls for appropriate health, nutrition and HIV and AIDS strategies that protect severely malnourished children, pregnant and lactating women. Some of the specific interventions would include:

More effective data collection and analysis on the rate of malnutrition among children to guide government policies;
Increasing distribution of appropriate and timely supplementary feeding for malnourished children;
Encouraging appropriate infant and young child feeding practices by the strengthening and training health workers deployed at the community level;
Improving sanitation and the distribution of potable water in order to prevent disease outbreaks.

Agriculture and environmental conservation:

World Vision calls for the implementation of policies and strategies to improve agricultural production in order to improve household food security, as well as for appropriate natural resource management policies that lead to improved community resilience to issues such as drought, diseases and changes in food availability and the rise in food prices. Some of the specific interventions include:

Increase of household dietary diversification through the distribution of sufficient agricultural produce;
Improvement prevention of pest infestation and disease outbreaks on crops;
Building capacity of farmers in rainwater harvesting and conservation, planting and nurturing of context appropriate crop and livestock.

For pastoral communities:

World Vision calls for the implementation of policies that prioritize the needs of pastoral communities through investment in infrastructure development and social protection measures, as well as improved access to markets and pasture. Some specific interventions include:

Provision of early warning systems and information to pastoral communities, particularly on animal disease outbreaks and drought;
Improved animal health services delivery, including animal drugs and animal health workers who are adequately trained;
Increased investment in infrastructure to create markets and access to markets for pastoralists, in order to improve integration of pastoral economies into national economies;
Ensuring provision of credit facilities and livestock insurance to pastoral communities.

Humanitarian access and distributional issues in relief situations:

World Vision calls for the improvement of access to those children and communities in need of assistance and for the addressing of distributional issues underlying the food crisis. Some specific interventions would include:

Addressing the unequal distribution of and access to livelihoods and economic resources by vulnerable communities;
Implementing social protection measures to protect the vulnerable from unfair pricing practices;
Improving roads and infrastructure for access to remote areas through the construction of roads, bridges and other infrastructure;
Reviewing regulations and security measures to ensure that the work of humanitarian agencies is facilitated.

Disaster risk reduction:

World Vision calls for more investment in disaster risk reduction and better preparedness mechanisms at the country level, as well as involvement in and support for regional and sub-regional level disaster risk reduction. Some specific interventions would include:

Building capacity of communities to gather and use information through appropriate early warning systems;
Building and investing in institutions which help communities to reduce risks;
Integrating disaster risk reduction into national development policies, planning processes and emergency response and recovery strategies;
Including disaster risk reduction in the national school curriculum and strengthening knowledge sharing and dissemination of good practices between communities.

About World Vision in Kenya

World Vision started operating in Kenya in 1974 during a time of severe drought and famine that affected most parts of the country. After helping to feed the hungry, World Vision started development work in various communities.

Currently World Vision Kenya operates 63 community development programs which are spread across 49 districts in all the eight provinces of Kenya. Beneficiaries include orphans and vulnerable children, people living with HIV or AIDS, small-scale farmers, pastoralists, poor households and those affected by emergencies.

While working with the communities, World Vision has been able to provide clean and safe water, access to education, support to orphans and vulnerable children, families affected by HIV and AIDS and improving household incomes. World Vision has also advocated for the rights of children, especially through the formation and support of area advisory councils in partnership with the government of Kenya.

In addition to development activities, World Vision is currently providing emergency relief supplies in areas hit hard by the prevailing drought. The organization is also involved in food recovery projects.

Micro-enterprise development is increasingly transforming many lives in Kenya, especially for low-income earners and the urban poor. Through World Vision’s microfinance arm, more than 16,500 small-scale borrowers have benefited from loans worth more than $6.6 million in the last financial year alone.