LETTERS: Collapse of Galana Kulalu project huge blow to taxpayers

When construction of the 10,000-acre Galana Kulalu model farm commenced on September 11, 2014, Kenyans thought that food insecurity, especially in the coastal region, would be a thing of the past. The project had promised to bring down the cost of Kenya's staple food (maize) to Sh75 from then Sh120 in 2015.

Five years down the line and the upshot from the mega project that purported to reduce food insecurity is the alleged loss of an estimated Sh5.9 billion with the downing of tools by the contractor, Green Arava of Israel.

The project has dried up River Sabaki-Galana making life difficult for thousands of residents who used to depend on the river for domestic use, agriculture and fishing. In his Big Four Agenda, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s priority is to make food available, accessible and adequate for all Kenyan citizens. The reality on the ground tells a different story.

The push for chemicals in agriculture and the promotion of monocultures including large scale industrial agriculture such as the Galana Kulalu project serve as proof of a ticking time bomb. This will not only lead to an increase in farmer impoverishment, but accelerate environmental degradation.

Over 10 million Kenyans lack secure access to safe and nutritious food. The President can address this by investing in the daily woes crippling the agricultural sector instead of mega agricultural projects. A case in point is that of farmers, who supplied last season’s maize harvest to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB), they are yet to receive payment eight months down the line.

It is important to note that over 80 percent of Kenya’s maize is grown by semi-subsistence smallholder farmers. Delaying their payment for eight months destabilizes and frustrates them as they heavily rely on rain-fed agriculture.

The President should strive to ensure that the payment systems at NCPB are effective so that farmers are paid on time to enable them supply more produce to the agency frequently.

Tegemeo Institute

The Trading Economics estimates that 10.19 percent of Kenya is arable land. With proper basic infrastructure and storage facilities, food produced in this areas can reach consumers within regions of unproductive land.

National maize post harvest losses are estimated by Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development to be about 12 – 20 percent of the total national production of 40.7 million bags per year.

This is attributed to poor infrastructure, post harvest produce handling and lack of on and off-farm storage facilities.

The Sh5.9 billion lost in the Galana Kulalu irrigation project would have been sufficient to build storage facilities for small scale farmers in order to reduce loss of produce. It could also build proper infrastructure connecting Northern Kenya and Southern Kenya to ensure that food supply flows freely within the country.

The President can maximise on the devolvement of the Agriculture sector by supporting agricultural investments to increase productivity at the community level. Majority of the food insecure Kenyans are the same farmers who have the potential to produce food for the rest of the country.

Instead of giving farmers subsidised chemical fertilizers that ruin the soils and contaminate the environment, the government should strive to support small scale farmers practising ecological agriculture.

Ecological agriculture is a farming practice which combines indigenous knowledge, modern science and innovation with respect for nature and biodiversity. It promotes crop biodiversity, sustainable soil health and clean water.

Governments and policymakers must rethink and take on a multidimensional approach to agriculture. They need to ensure that farmers and farming systems are strengthened and empowered in the process of building food security in the country.

The government should provide capital for small-scale farmers to have their own water harvesting equipment and community indigenous seed banks. This will help save money they spend on buying seeds each planting season from corporates keen to make profit at the expense of the farmers. It is only through such initiatives that Kenya can tackle food insecurity; not through the mega agricultural projects.

Claire Nasike, Greenpeace Africa’s Food for Life Campaigner.