Hunger and Famine-The Remedy

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 Going to bed on an empty stomach is a nightmare that many wouldn't stand.  But believe it or not, thousands of Kenyans are used to it, and not just missing a meal, but going for days on an empty stomach.  The President must be bored of always announcing that food insecurity is once more a national disaster.  This is not the first or last time.  Judging from the present happenings, in future, the situation is most likely to get worse-if certain measures are not addressed.

I'm fed up with the government always claiming to care; begging for food from foreign nations and international bodies-to feed its masses. Isn't it just shameful to beg when you have plenty of natural resources at your disposal?  To put an end at this embarassing situation, certin issues need to be made clear to all.

First and foremost, farmers need to be educated on proper farming methods-soil management, land preparation, animal husbandry...  What's all the fuss about growing maize and beans?  Aren't there any more productive crops that farmers can invest in?  I understand that some farmers hold back from diversying due to fear of loosing their crops to thieves. 

"If you have what everyone else has, no one will think of stealing it."  They argue.

Secondly, there is never a good and enough storage for the crops.  Its ether the farmes harvest nothing and die of hunger or, reap it big and loose it due to poor storage and lack of market.  Only then does the government take advantage of the situation  and buy their products at a throw away price.  I'm not trying to praise the past governemtns but, back then, even the poorest of peasant farmers had their own granaries.

Fencing one's property is as important.  Now that we have our forests securely guarded and electric fenced, why shouldn't be our own personal property?  Live fence for instance is easy to grow and requires less cash to buy, grow and maintain.

Consequently, nourishing your Agricultural knowledge on new technologies and practices is very rewarding.  At the end of the day, you can learn of the best crop that suit your area, the right fertilisers to use...   And in case you are worried of finding a market for your produce, let that not bother you.  If the market place is saturated, why not get a tender to a supermarket, learning institutions or even export?  You will be amazed that even the driest parts of the country like Ukambani and North Eastern have soils that can sustain various crops.

So, come next season, every farmer should have prepared and tilled their land appropriately, have constructed a granary, planted a fence, purchased the right fertilisers and seeds and be in the process of finding a good market for their produce.