Kenya seeks use of science, technology to address food insecurity

Source:Led b2b   Date:2011-3-21  close   Printing

NAIROBI, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- A senior Kenyan official said on Tuesday a solution to the perennial food insecurity in the East African region lies in infusing innovations in science and technology into agriculture, fish farming, livestock and dairy production to enhance food production and mitigate the effects of climate change.

Permanent Secretary David Nalo in the Ministry of East Africa Community (EAC) said unless East Africans moved away from subsistence ways of agricultural production, the region would continue to face challenges in food security and producing surpluses for export.

"This was at the heart of the retreat of EAC heads of state in Arusha on Dec. 1-2, 2010 which noted the need for strategies to address food security and climate change in the region," he said during a meeting with Anders Vidhav, the Managing Director of Josab International, a Swedish water technology company.

The company, with investments in water purification is seeking a foothold in the East African region following the first Lake Victoria Investment Conference held in Mwanza in December 2010.

Nalo said the Lake Victoria Basin with a population of 38 million people was characterized by high poverty and lack of clean drinking water yet it was home to the second largest fresh water lake in the world and many rivers that drain into it.

The secretary said investing in the Basin and other parts of the country that lack access to clean drinking water would go a long way in helping the people of East Africa.