The Economics of Food Security in Kenya
The Food and Agriculture Organization defines food security as a condition where every individual consistently has physical, social, and economic access to adequate, safe, and nutritious food that satisfies their dietary requirements and personal preferences, enabling them to lead active and healthy lives. Kenya, a nation where agriculture sustains over 75% of its population and contributes 24% to its GDP, continues to face the paradox of persistent food insecurity despite its economic reliance on farming.
Food security is a critical issue that goes beyond agricultural production, encompassing economic, social, and policy dimensions. In Kenya, the paradox of abundant food production and persistent food insecurity underscores the complex interplay between self-sufficiency, trade, affordability, and poverty. While Kenya has made strides in achieving high self-sufficiency rates for staples like maize and animal products. The availability of food does not always translate into access for everyone. This discrepancy becomes more evident when considering the broader economic context, where factors such as poverty, inflation, and changing policies interact with food security, challenging the assumption that self-sufficiency alone can ensure food security for all.
Economic access to food remains a significant challenge for Kenya. In 2023, the country’s self-sufficiency rate was at an impressive 97.4%, yet 17.3% of its total food products were imported. Similarly, in 2022, while Kenya achieved a self-sufficiency rate of 92.5%, it still relied on imports for 15.5% of its food needs. Food imports, coupled with improper storage and underproduction in non-agricultural regions, has pushed the prices of food upwards, making many food items inaccessible to many. This is further exacerbated by high rates of poverty across the country, standing at 46% of the population. To make matters worse, approximately 8.9 million Kenyans, representing 17% of the population, live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $1.90 (Ksh 247) per day. Kenya scored a mere 41.3% on the affordability indicator of the Global Food Security Index in 2022.
Social realities equally lead to food insecurity. Kenyan staple food remains to be the much-loved ugali, the product of maize four. This pushes the demand for maize in the country upwards, even when cheaper, more nutritious options like arrow roots, cassava and sweet potatoes are available. A few years back, the then minister for cooperatives Hon Ndwiga encouraged Kenyans to eat the many rats available in the Nairobi markets. While readily available, Kenyans find rodents unhygienic and do not consider them as food.
On the flipside, more Kenyans in the middle class are adopting western and exotic lifestyles preferring new products that are heavy in wheat. These include bread, burgers, pizza, sausages etc. While Kenya produces wheat, majority of the wheat consumed locally is imported from Ukraine and Eastern Europe. this creates demand for food imports, further pushing upwards the balance of payments and demand for the dollar.
On the policy front, progress has been made towards enhancing food security. The Kenyan food bank is able to feed Kenyans for 6 months without external intervention. Additionally, government has prioritised agriculture as one of its key development areas in the vision 2030. From fertilizer subsidy, to building dams and storage facilities, government policy is geared towards not only adequate production but also proper handling and storage. Further, the agricultural sector, predominantly rain-fed, bears the brunt of climate variability. According to the World Bank, weather-related shocks, coupled with pests and diseases, have eroded real agricultural value-added, which has declined relative to levels attained in 2006. For instance, the recurring droughts of 2016 and 2017 left millions in need of humanitarian assistance, underscoring how erratic rainfall and rising temperatures strain food production. The government and its partners, has made progress in climate change mitigation and proper environmental management.
Kenya’s food security challenges are multifaceted and deeply intertwined with economic, social, and environmental factors. The solutions must equally be multi-faceted. Furthermore, improving the affordability of food requires strategic policy interventions that balance fiscal stability with the well-being of citizens. The impact of taxes and inflation on household purchasing power must be carefully considered in policy formulation to avoid exacerbating food insecurity. Strengthening the agricultural value chain, promoting food processing, and improving market access for smallholder farmers can also reduce food price volatility and increase food availability. Ultimately, a multi-dimensional approach that combines sustainable agricultural practices, economic empowerment, and responsive policy frameworks will be essential for achieving lasting food security in Kenya.
Article by Odhiambo Ramogi & Eddy Arnold