Budgets to ease food crisis

EAST AFRICA, 13 June 2008 (IRIN) – Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, in their budget proposals for the 2008-2009 financial year, announced measures to cushion their populations against soaring food prices.
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Where fieldwork means female work

Ester Maikuri, Kenya

Life as a young widow is fairly difficult anywhere. Being a farmer in a developing country remains hard as well. But as well as family networks, personal initiative can also help…

For Ester, fieldwork is women’s work. That is simply the way it is. However, men make take 90 percent of the farm and domestic decisions.
She lives in the fertile highland of northwest Kenya. The mother of three lost her husband six years ago. Her status as a widow defines her existence. She lives on her father-in-law’s farm, and helps when and where she can.
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Kenya: Coffee Set to Fetch Higher Prices After Branding Deal

Coffee from Kenya will now attract higher prices following the signing of regulations governing the sector in London Sunday.
The regulations signed under the International Coffee Agreement will allow coffee from the country to be branded thereby fetching it higher prices.
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Kenya: End of Sweetheart Deal Spells Doom for Wheat Farmers

For eight years, Kenya has managed to plead for more time and protection from its neighbours, before local wheat farmers are exposed to fierce competition within the regional trading bloc.
However, with the last extensions for protection coming at the end of this year, over 300,000 wheat farmers now face intense competition from produce from within the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa).
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East Africa: Rising Inflation Hits Region Hard

Polycarp Machira

East African states have been hit hard by the current inflation caused by surging global fuel and food prices.
However, Kenya appears to have suffered the most compared to Uganda or Tanzania.
Statistics show that Tanzania’s rate of inflation stands at 9.7 per cent, a 0.7 per cent increase from last month, while Uganda has a 9.5 per cent inflation rate, representing a 0.9 per cent increase during the same period.
Kenya’s inflation rate stands at 26.6 per cent as of last month or a 5 per cent increase from the previous month.
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Golden wheat “greens” Kenya´s drylands

Hot and barren, Kenya´s dry lands have long been unfit for agriculture, at best merely a grazing area for wild animals and livestock.

Today, the landscape is more picturesque and productive, lined with golden stalks of wheat yielding precious grain for Kenya´s farms and families. The wheat is a new variety, one that is high yielding and resistant to drought. As a result, small farming families are realizing harvests on farmlands once considered too poor to cultivate, to the country´s social and economic benefit.
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Africa plants more, led world in Billion tree campaigns

Four sub-Saharan Countries are reportedly leading in the billion tree campaigns initiated 18 months ago.

The four are led by Ethiopia Kenya, Rwanda and Senegal which however trails Morocco. Combined the four planted over the targeted one billion trees.In terms of geographic distribution, Africa is the leading region with over half of all tree plantings.
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Development of Environmentally Safe, Insect Resistant Maize Varieties for Food Security in Kenya

Due to the current high population growth rate, there is an urgent need for new stem borer management technologies that can reduce the crop losses due to this pest, and thus increase maize production to cope with this increasing demand for maize, the major staple food crop in Kenya.
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Golden wheat “greens” Kenya´s drylands

By Rodolfo Quevenco

Hot and barren, Kenya´s dry lands have long been unfit for agriculture, at best merely a grazing area for wild animals and livestock.
Today, the landscape is more picturesque and productive, lined with golden stalks of wheat yielding precious grain for Kenya´s farms and families. The wheat is a new variety, one that is high yielding and resistant to drought.
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Kenya: Harsh Weather Patterns to Shrink Maize Production

Steve Mbogo

Kenyans could soon be forced to adjust their eating habits as the favourite maize meal becomes more scarce due to the effects of climate change.
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