Greenpeace urges Kenya government shift to ecological farming

17 Octobre 2017

Nairobi, Kenya, October 17 (Infosplusgabon) -  The Kenyan government been called upon to support and enable a food sovereignty system that calls for a shift from industrial agriculture to ecological farming to help ease the pressure to feed its people.

This, Greenpeace Africa Senior Food for Life Campaigner, Renee Olende, said on Monday will also help the country of 45 million tackle the negative effects of climate change.

She was speaking at a forum in Nairobi where youth from eight Kenyan universities debated on the issues the government needs to address in order to safeguard food security and protect consumers from threats of a broken food system.

Dubbed the 'World Food Day Debate,' the session covered: Consumption and food systems; Ecological farming and benefits; agriculture and and livelihoods; food security.'

Greenpeace is a global environmental organization, consisting of Greenpeace International (Stichting Greenpeace Council) in Amsterdam.

It also has 26 independent national and regional offices across the world covering operations in more than 55 countries.

Though the debate in Nairobi coincided with the UN World Food Day, the day was not marked in Kenya because of the prevailing tension in the country, sparked by the disputed presidential election.

Greenpeace Africa said, with the expansion of mega mergers in the global food system, 60 percent of the world’s seeds will be controlled by three companies.

"Greenpeace Africa will be supporting the youth in advocating and lobbying for improved policy to ensure smallholder farmers who constitute 30 per cent of Kenya’s farming population, not corporations, control the food chain and determine how food is produced," she said.

“The way forward is building mitigation measures in response to climate change and establishing sustainable ways of farming that ensure food security not only for Kenyans but for Africa," said the official.

The government must therefore act quickly to ensure that the patterns are averted and reversed, she added.

The youth Greenpeace Africa called on the government to support ecological farming by providing seed to farmers and water for irrigation.

The also requested the government to support training on modern and sustainable farming practices, refocus on extension services and credit programmes and put in place policies that are aligned to ecological farming practices.

Sustainably grown food is guaranteed through ecological farming, a farming practice which combines indigenous knowledge, modern science and innovation with respect for nature and biodiversity, said the organization.

It ensures healthy farming and healthy food. It protects the soil, water and the climate. It does not contaminate the environment with chemical inputs or use genetically engineered organisms.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/EDL/GABON 2017

© Copyright Infosplusgabon