| dc.description.abstract | Like in much of Sub-Saharan Africa, food security in Kenya is under pressure from a growing population and a dependency on climatically vulnerable rain-fed maize. At the same time, the Kenyan government seeks to boost its economic growth and food security through developing the agricultural sector, which employs most of the population and where most of the production is in the hands of low-income smallholder farmers. Foreign agribusiness plays an important role in this, as it brings much needed investment, knowledge, crop diversification and giving smallholders the opportunity to participate in value chains oriented towards the lucrative export market. Horticulture and the fruits sub-sector is in this regard in a crucial position as an important income earner but also because of its great potential to diversify both crop production and the diet. Despite this potential to improve Food and Nutrition Security (FNS), local impacts of export-oriented fruits production are poorly known.
This thesis assesses direct and indirect impacts of inclusive export oriented avocado farming on Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) among smallholder farmers in the Upper Mara River Basin, divided between Bomet and Narok counties is southwestern Kenya. It adopts a comprehensive approach to FNS by considering the availability, accessibility, utilization and stability dimensions of food security and nutrition security through the diversity of available food as well as the diet of households.
The study area is increasingly dependent on important grain staples, such as maize and millet, from other areas. Also, fruits and vegetables, including avocado, are in increasing local demand, many of which are brought in from other regions. To date, however, smallholders who farm avocado for the export market cannot shown to be better off in terms of diet or income than the control group and do not have better access to food on the market. Although grafted avocado for the export market is new to most of the farms, it negatively impacted crop diversity and the quantity food available on these through own production, while avocados are still not producing enough to compensate for these losses. Payment delays and a refusal to grant advances or loans by the export company have further negatively impacted farmer incomes and loyalty, undermining value chain efficiency.
Although the development of avocado trees has been delayed by a serious drought, avocado production and prices are increasing at a fast rate which can be expected to improve the food access of export avocado farmers to a wider diversity of purchased foods, which more and more often come from outside regions. Optimistic future projections for avocado farming in the area are encouraging local governments to improve infrastructure, which is expected to lower transaction costs and improve food availability at local markets as well as travel access to them. This will have a positive food security impact for all smallholders in the area. | |
