Kenya urged to encourage sustainable agriculture to protect biodiversity

Unsustainable agricultural practices are being blamed on the continuous loss of biodiversity in the country a factor which could further jeopardize Kenya’s food security efforts.

According to speakers at the inaugural Kenya Landscape Actors Platform (KenLAP) 2024 Conference, use of harmful pesticides by farmers as well as poor planning of the landscape are biggest factors affecting the country’s biodiversity.

“We have the Living Planet Report that actually shows that biodiversity is threatened in our landscapes. We are having 76pc losses in biodiversity since 1970 according to this report and food systems and agricultural production is blamed for that reduction,” said Nancy Rapando, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Africa Food Systems Leader.

Landscape stakeholders also raised a red flag warning that the country could see a significant loss in food production as farmlands get converted into habitats while rangelands turn into croplands especially in counties.

Policymakers are now being urged to ensure farmers have access to organic fertilizer, build capacity for counties especially on land use management and cut post-harvest losses which helps reduce pressure on food production.

“We are losing a lot of food through waste but this food is actually making people get tempted to expand agricultural production more. When you lose 30pc of your production that means you will need an extra 30pc that you will lose. You are taking up more land and labour and converting more land that could be used for biodiversity,” she added.

The country is now being urged to consider setting up food banks that will ensure the country cuts of food waste and protect those food insecure.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) latest report, 16 million Kenyans are considered food poor.

“The issue of food safety is very key and we are calling upon policymakers to come up with measures and relevant policies to ensure that the aspect of food safety is also considered as we roll out the food banks,” stated Antony K’Owiti from the Inter-Sectorial Forum on Agroecology and Agrobiodiversity (ISSA).

The four day conference brought together stakeholders in the landscape sector from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

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