Environmental Studies Faculty and Staff Publications

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2009

Keywords

Strategic grain reserve, Food system planning

Abstract

My last month in Kenya has been sobering. Ten million Kenyans were reportedly facing starvation. There were daily reports on affected districts, those most vulnerable, and the government’s mishandling of the disaster. Newspapers reported heavily on the incompetency of the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB), which is responsible, under the guidance of Trustees, in maintaining a Strategic Grain Reserve of about 6 million bags of maize cereal. How best to do this? An obvious way is through purchase of local grain supplies. Despite drought and resultant famine, poor infrastructure, high farm input costs, serious planting disruption after last year’s post-election violence, and destruction of grain stores in the same violence – food is available. Maize, a Kenyan staple, is available.

Publication Title

Institute for Global and Community Resilience Field Report

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

Food supply--Kenya; Food security--Kenya; Corn--Government policy--Kenya; Agriculture and state--Kenya; Agriculture--Economic aspects--Kenya

Geographic Coverage

Kenya

Genre/Form

articles

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

Download

Share

COinS