Strategic responses to challenges in implementation of food insecurity strategies by Makueni county government
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Date
2015-11Author
Kanyingi, Anne W
Type
ThesisLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The main purpose of this study was to establish strategic responses to challenges of
implementation of food insecurity in Makueni County in Kenya. The study sought to
achieve two specific objectives: to establish the challenges to implementation of food
security strategies in Makueni County and to determine the strategic responses to the
challenges in implementation of food security in Makueni County. The study took the
form of a case study since there was need to conduct an in-depth investigation. Primary
data was collected from five ministry of agriculture senior management employees based
at the County Headquarters. The study findings reveal that the high population in the
county has put pressure on the existing resources including land. There is high demand
for residential space at the expense of agricultural activity. The high population has also
led to deforestation as people depend on firewood and charcoal for cooking and heating.
As a result water catchment areas are now destroyed and lack of water is such a great
challenge contributing to food insecurity in the county. There is also the issue of soil
erosion that renders the soils deficient of the required plant nutrients and lowers
agricultural productivity. Over reliance on maize and beans has made it impossible to
achieve food security since these crops are less drought resistant. Dependence on rain fed
agriculture is perhaps the main cause of food insecurity since climatic conditions have
changed and rain patterns are not predictable and reliable. It was further revealed that the
strategic responses adopted to overcome these challenges include harvesting of rain water
by constructing sand dams, exploiting other ways of expanding agricultural activity
through irrigation, reversing the rapid population growth rate through provision of family
planning education to people, diversification of crops to ensure that farmers plant crops
that are more drought resistant, livestock diseases surveillance and vaccination as well as
livestock improvement.
Publisher
University of Nairobi