Combating Food Insecurity in Kenya

Combating Food Insecurity in Kenya

Earlier this month, the Government of Kenya declared a drought emergency, placing the number affected by food insecurity at more than 2.7 million. With maize production down by more than 99%, rural farming communities and pastoralists have been severely affected.

Global Communities’ Agribusiness Investment for Market Stimulation (AIMS) program is supporting efforts to improve food security in Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania by bolstering agribusiness trade and production. AIMS encourages trade by increasing access to financing for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) engaged in agribusiness. The program also supports SMEs by helping them improve their business capacity in a variety of areas including operations, sales and marketing, human resource management, planning and financial management. AIMS Trade Specialist Stephen Kiarie recently spoke to the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation about the challenges of increasing agricultural production and supporting small farmers and the vital role that SMEs play in the agricultural production system. The support AIMS provides to SMEs in terms of capacity building and market linkages has a trickle-down effect to the small farmers. As SMEs grow and expand their capacity, they create greater demand for products from farmers.

To learn more, listen to full interviews below.