Why Kenya?

Hunger has persistently affected millions of lives and is a marker of food insecurity. In Kenya, an estimated 16.4 million people have limited or diminished access to food (Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Economic Survey, 2016). Ironically, the hungriest people worldwide are farmers (One Acre Fund “Farmers First,” 2019). The heavy dependence on farming as a source of food and livelihood puts many households at high risk of food insecurity due to climatic change, unpredictable rain cycles, droughts, pests, and poor crop yields. The Bassiouni Group (2017) foresees a climatic crisis propagated by climate change that will further complicate agriculture and agribusiness in Kenya leading to decreased food production and increased cost of food. 

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (2017), 80% of Kenya’s rural population depends on small-scale crop farming for their livelihood where labor is mostly provided by women. However, women have little control and ownership of land. Of the 80% of Kenya’s arable land, women manage 40% but own only 1% of agricultural land while receiving just 10% of available credit. With such gender disparity, WHO observed that households that are headed by women were more likely to be food insecure compared to those headed by men (World Food Programme, 2021).