Why Kenya Farms So Much but Still Worries About Food: The Fix Starts in the Field.
Why Kenya Farms So Much but Still Worries About Food: The Fix Starts in the Field. Food security is not simply about how much food a country produces; it is about whether every person can consistently access sufficient, safe and nutritious food to live a healthy life. It rests on four interconnected dimensions: availability, access, utilization and stability. Availability asks whether enough food is produced, imported or stored to meet demand. Access considers whether households can afford that food and whether transport and distribution systems can deliver it where it is needed. Utilization concerns the nutritional quality, safety and proper preparation of food, while stability examines whether people can depend on these conditions throughout the year, including during droughts, floods, economic shocks and seasonal shortages. These dimensions explain why agricultural production alone cannot guarantee food security in Kenya. A strong maize harvest, for example, does not autom...