EU and Kenya commit to helping small farmers become commercial
The European Union, Kenya and partners have made a commitment to improve national food security in the East African country by helping to increase the production of cereal staples and the income of smallholder farmers to allow them graduate to market-oriented commercial farming, the EU said.
The Kenya Cereal Enhancement Programme (KCEP) and its Climate Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods window (CRAL) will benefit 185 000 smallholder farmers in 13 counties across the country especially in arid and semi-arid areas, the EU said in a statement issued on Thursday.
It will contribute to Kenya’s national goal of food security by an additional 41 000 tonnes and reduce the national grain deficit by 10 percent.
The Food Security and Resilience to Climate Shocks is one of the three focal sectors for EU-Kenya partnership- the KCEP-CRAL programme is one of the initiatives under this focal area.
“The programme is at the heart of the work of the EU in Kenya as it represents EU-Kenya partnership approach in building a strong emerging economy that benefits all Kenyans,” Stefano Dejak, the EU Ambassador and Head of EU delegation to Kenya, noted.
“Smallholder farmers are the main target for the EU. We aim to assist a part of the 60 percent population who are still in subsistence farming to become successful market actors and to improve their resilience to climate change,” said Dejak.
He pointed out the programme should pave the way for the development of a vibrant private sector, adding that there is need for a clear and coherent policy on input subsidies and access to financial markets to help grow and attract genuine investors in the agricultural sector.