Are Commercial Crops Displacing Food Crops And Compromising Kenya’s Food Security?

Abstract

Premised on the idea that malnutrition due to food insecurity undermines Africa's human capital base, we carried a survey among 108 Kenyan sugarcane farmers in the year 2000 to assess food crop production practices. Results indicate that cash crops could be displacing food crops. Almost all the land is dedicated to sugarcane, and minimal land is dedicated to food crops. Vegetables are ranked lower in importance to other foods with traditional vegetables faring worse than exotic vegetables. Further, inadequate agronomic practices, in particular, fertilizer underutilization and lack of pest control were prevalent. Thus, it was not surprising to find lack of self-sufficiency in vegetables that could contribute towards alleviating food insecurity.