Title : Aquaculture, a favorable recommendation for food insecurity, poverty and undernutrition in Kenya
Abstract:
Food insecurity remains one of the most evident aspects of poverty. The growing population and the competition for resources such as land and water imply that global food demand is burgeoning. In Kenya, food insecurity trends are worrying as the population is predicted to hit 55 million by 2030 as the per capita annual growth rate of arable land and the increase in food prices. Aquaculture is vital for enhancing food security, alleviating poverty and promoting sustainable economic growth in Kenya. The main challenges in the aquaculture subsector in Kenya include; Inadequate availability and affordability of quality fish seed (fingerlings), lack of high quality and affordable fish feeds, inadequate supportive infrastructure e.g. hatcheries, fish marketing systems, fish processing plants, shortfall in budgetary allocations to support aquaculture initiatives, weak research- extension- farmer linkages, slow adoption rate of fish farming technologies, innovations and management practices (TIMPs), lack of good credit facilities and schemes for fish farmers, poor security and safety of fish in ponds and cages, poor book keeping and record management leading to inaccurate data, policy and legal framework for fish feed and seed certification to monitor compliance. The opportunities to enhance aquaculture contribution to food security, poverty alleviation and malnutrition in Kenya include; integration of aquaculture into conventional farming, upscaling modern technologies, innovations, and management practices (TIMPs), competency- based training on special skills in aquaculture, organizing fish traders into groups to maximize financial and market opportunities, exploring opportunities in value- added product development, investment in modern fish processing technologies and marketing techniques, promoting public –private partnerships to support aquaculture initiatives.
Keywords: food insecurity, poverty and malnutrition
