Nairobi: Experts in the agriculture space will in the next two days participate in a summit on the Kenya National Food Systems Stocktaking moment. The meeting comes ahead of the second United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4) that will be taking place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 27-29 July 2025.
According to Kenya News Agency, speaking today during a media breakfast briefing ahead of the two meetings, State Department of Agriculture Principal Secretary, Dr. Kipronoh Ronoh, said Kenya has been working towards five pathways in transforming its food systems. The PS gave the status and achievements of the five pathways, namely increasing youth/women in profitable agri-food systems, digitalization of agri-food systems, improving dietary diversity, climate action, and financing agri-food systems through partnerships and collaborations.
The food systems focus on achieving healthy and nutritious food, inclusive livelihoods, environmental sustainability, and resilience and are anchored in international commitments such as the UN Food Systems Summit. They are designed to facilitate a transition towards more sustainable and inclusive food systems, including agroecology.
Through the youth program, the PS said that they have engaged 9,450 youth across 1,335 wards to strengthen extension service through the Youth agri-preneurs Program and through the 2,308 4-K clubs and 158,685 learner members to promote food and nutrition as well as agribusiness mindset change in schools. ‘We are also strengthening the participation of youth, women, and marginalized communities in decision-making through the Kenya Livestock Commercialization Project (KeLCoP),’ he added.
On the digitalization of Agri-food systems, Dr. Ronoh confirmed that through KiAMIS, 6.45 million farmers have been registered with the e-vouchers. Digital platform tools that provide weather forecasts, market prices, and agronomic advice have been put up, and digital soil mapping is ongoing. ‘With FAO collaboration, land digitalization for precision agriculture is ongoing while AI and data analytics is being used for market trends, production optimization, and food safety traceability,’ the PS said.
On improving dietary diversity through the Homegrown School Meal Programme, Dr. Ronoh said that 2.3 million children are being fed, but the government’s target is the number to rise to 10 million by 2030. In Nairobi City County, the Dishi na County program is reaching 500,000 learners, while kitchen gardens are being promoted in households and schools for nutritious food production, the PS said. ‘There has been the establishment of demonstration farms in schools and government institutions for technology transfer in food production for improved diets in ASALs,’ he added.
On climate action, PS Rono said that the National Agroecology Strategy for Food System Transformation (2024-2033) is in place to promote sustainable farming practices and enhance soil health. ‘There has been rangeland reseeding in ASALs to restore native plant diversity; the National Irrigation Authority is promoting climate-resilient systems; and through the Land Commercialization Initiative, we are targeting 2.5 million acres of idle arable land and 1.3 million acres of irrigated land by 2030,’ he said.
On post-harvest tech, the PS noted that there has been improved storage, drying, and warehouses to reduce losses, and so far, 100-grain dryers have been distributed across NCPB depots. ‘Through KALRO, drought-tolerant and nutrient-fortified seed varieties are under development, and the Nyota bean variety, rich in iron, is in the market for farmers, and we are also advancing feedlot strategies in ASAL Counties,’ the PS noted.
On the fifth pathway of financing agri-food systems through partnerships and collaborations, the PS said the government is collaborating and partnering under the Public-Private Partnerships to improve infrastructure, production, value addition, and market access. ‘We are implementing the establishment of aggregation centres in all the counties; through the 1,023 registered SACCOs we have mobilized Sh259 million in savings and disbursed Sh165 million loans,’ he added.
In collaboration with IFAD and the World Bank, the PS said they had piloted the tracking of financial flows to food systems (3FS) tool to ensure efficient resource allocation. He added that the policy on the Agriculture Development Fund is underway to establish an agricultural bank for farmers to fulfill the CAADP requirement of financing the agriculture sector sustainably.
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) Kenya Country Director, Ruth Okowa, said one of Kenya’s key UN Food Systems pathways focuses on promoting diverse, nutritious, and culturally appropriate diets to reduce malnutrition and non-communicable diseases. Towards this end, she added that GAIN has been collaborating with the Ministry of Health and other partners to increase public awareness, strengthen value chains for nutrient-rich foods, strengthen food fortification and biofortification, and catalyze implementation of nutrition-related policies.
‘Nutrition literacy and social behaviour change (SBC) are critical levers to shift consumer preferences, and GAIN, alongside other stakeholders, is committed to advancing efforts through partnerships and innovation to ensure all Kenyans can access healthier diets,’ Okowa said. As the country prepares for the National UN Food Systems Stocktaking Moment tomorrow and Wednesday, April 16th, 2025, the Country Director called on all to advocate for policies and actions that promote the production and consumption of diverse diets and ensure that healthy food is a right, not a privilege, for every Kenyan.
Kenya has made commendable strides in improving nutrition, with stunting rates dropping from 26 percent in 2014 to 18 percent in 2022 (KDHS 2022). However, we still face a triple burden of malnutrition-undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and rising rates of overweight and obesity.