The Capacity of Integrated Small-Scale Agricultural Production in Realization of Food Security in Rural Kenya: A Case of Suwerwa Location

Abstract

Extreme poverty and hunger in many parts of Kenya is a common phenomenon. In recent years, there has been a deteriorating food supply. In the year 2011, approximately 4 million people were facing severe hunger and starvation. This has been attributed to multiple factors: poor traditional agricultural practices, over-reliance on maize and maize products as the major source of food, crop failure occasioned by erratic rainfall patterns, runaway food prices occasioned by a rise in global food price, poor logistics in the distribution of food to needy people and the influx of refugees from war-torn neighboring countries. Another factor that has contributed to food shortage is diminishing land sizes due to an increase in population. What used to be huge arable land suitable for large-scale commercial agriculture has been fragmented, making large-scale farming untenable. This has led to diminishing returns in food production and its attendant consequences. With dwindling agricultural output, household incomes have also been made worse, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. This study, therefore, examines the capacity of integrated agricultural production in the realization of food security in rural Kenya. The research was a case study of Suwerwa Location. The research instruments that were used included questionnaires, interview schedules and focus group discussions. The researcher used purposive and simple random sampling to generate a sample size of 200 respondents. The research used both descriptive and analytical methods of data analysis. This study found out that integrated small-scale agricultural production, as is practised in the Suwerwa location, has not ensured food self-sufficiency for all because of the numerous challenges that farmers face, ranging from financial and technical to those posed by weather. The study concluded that it is important to re-orient farming practices and adopt integrated farming systems on tiny land holdings. At the same time, farmers must be taught new ways of integrating farm activities. In addition, they must move away from rain-fed agriculture to irrigation so that they can grow food throughout the year and be provided with credit facilities and extension services. The study findings benefit policy-makers at the planning level because they inform them of the farming trends and food situation and reflect the country's capacity to attain food sufficiency through integrated small-scale agricultural production.