We need our farmers in the pandemic war

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to reorganise the way people live and relate, there is one thing we cannot afford to fully let go: food.

To stay strong and fight on, we must find ways of keeping food production alive even as we strictly observe measures that reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

In Kenya, the virus has struck at the onset of the planting season, when smallholder crop farmers in many regions that produce the country’s staples were already worried about resilient swarms of desert locusts that have ravaged some parts of the country.

The government has responded with a number of directives, including restriction of movement and gatherings, two elements that are central to the way small-scale farming in rural Kenya is organised.

As the authorities implement movement restriction, these farmers are bound to suffer an increased risk of reduced access to markets — both to buy inputs and sell produce.

Some are also likely to keep off the farms altogether due to anxiety and panic. This could result in depressed harvests and food shortages in the next few months, when the country will probably be at the peak of the Covid-19 progression curve.

The combination of using high-quality seeds with the right fertiliser and planting in time usually results in a good harvest if accompanied by continuous farmer technical assistance.

At a time like this, when the sector is experiencing such unprecedented challenges, the government and other stakeholders need to support ease of access to farm inputs by smallholder farmers.

This can be achieved through such strategies as providing cheap loans to farmers and waiving tax on production or importation of farm inputs, like high-quality seeds and fertiliser.

After coronavirus was declared a pandemic and countries started restricting movement, supply chains around the world have slowed down.

Should the situation get worse, it’s not inconceivable that countries that deplete their food reserves will not be able to easily buy it from other countries.

Sustaining food production must, therefore, be at the heart of the country’s preparedness and response to the unfolding pandemic.

So far, the government, to its credit, has demonstrated its intention to promote the citizen’s access to food even during these tough times by listing food transporters among essential service providers to whom the curfew restrictions do not apply.

Additionally, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya recently said the government was “calling upon farmers to continue production of food to ensure food security”, while asking other value chain actors to also play their part “to avoid food shortages”.

While this is commendable, designating agriculture as an essential service may ensure farmers continue working.

The president has vowed to use all means in his power to fight the pandemic, and he has already announced a number of positive policy changes aimed at shielding the citizens from the attendant economic challenges.

Hopefully, the government will intervene to rescue the 4.5 million smallholder farmers who include 3.5 million crop growers.

Ms Kagari is the global director, government relations, at One Acre Fund.