Although Kenya has liberalized its agricultural market, it continues to experience frequent food shortages that greatly compromise the welfare of its citizens, especially the poor. In Kenya food shortages are synonymous with maize shortages. Persistent maize crises sometimes manifest themselves in simultaneous existence of grain surpluses in some regions and grain shortages in others. This situation has placed great doubt on the efficiency of the Kenyan food marketing system. ; Non-PR ; IFPRI1; KMPO; Markets and Trade; 2020 ; DGO
Poverty and vulnerability are among the major problems in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA). To design appropriate poverty reduction initiatives for the region, it is not only important to understand the distribution of poverty but also the determinants. Various reports have documented information on the status, distribution and determinants of poverty in each of the countries. Nonetheless, not much information has been documented in a form that is easily accessible to decision makers and planners involved in designing and implementing programmes for addressing poverty reduction and food insecurity at the regional level. This paper reviews the existing knowledge on the status, distribution and determinants of poverty in the ESA region to fill that knowledge gap. It emerges from the literature that poverty in the region differs across socio-economic groups and across space. The existing poverty maps suggests that most districts and provinces whose poverty rates are lower than the national averages are located in rain fed mixed crop–livestock systems and that the highest proportion of them are in the humid and sub humid systems. High poverty rates also occur in the livestock only systems. About half of the poor provinces and districts fall in areas with short growing periods; this affects their agricultural potential. The areas are also constrained by market access. Investment in irrigation, improved water management and improved market access would play a vital role in these regions. The review suggests that household level determinants of poverty in the region include, but are not limited to: household characteristics—family composition, size and structure, age and marital status of head, gender of the head, education and other human capital capabilities; access to basic services such as social amenities, water and sanitation, credit and infrastructure; employment, occupation and incomes; asset ownership; access to remittances; burden of disease; variations in agricultural production; and declining food stocks and high food prices. Community/regional/country level determinants include: geography and related factors such as market access, agro-ecological zones, climate and ethnicity; the environment; population density; area of residence (rural vs. urban); income, growth and inequality; conflict, insecurity and political instability; and governance and corruption. However, it is difficult to separate the determinants of community level poverty from the determinants at the household level. The review further suggests that the determinants of poverty are fairly robust across many COMESA countries. This suggests the need for a consultative approach to poverty reduction in the region.
This chapter summarizes the findings from analyses conducted by AKADEMIYA2063 on local staple food market dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. With the outbreak of the highly contagious virus in Africa in March 2020, various measures were implemented by African governments to contain its spread. These measures included bans on public gatherings and markets; restrictions on movement within and between countries; closures of schools, restaurants, and hotels; and curfews. All these measures were likely to cause market disruptions and revenue losses for vulnerable groups by disrupting supply and demand of agricultural staples, either directly or indirectly. The objective of these analytical studies is therefore to generate evidence on how the various COVID-19 response measures have affected food supply and demand patterns in Africa, taking into account the locational characteristics (that is, whether an area is urban or rural, has a surplus or deficit of the commodity in question, and is in a coastal or landlocked country) and whether the commodity is perishable or nonperishable. Such evidence can then be used to inform efforts to anticipate and respond to food crises arising from infectious disease outbreaks and the measures implemented to limit their spread.
The study provides CTA with recommendations on the types of value chains to be supported and information on particular nodes that CTA could be involved in. It focuses on the IGAD region, which includes eight member states: Djibouti, Somalia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya, and on a select number of livestock commodity value chains. The study obtained data and information from ongoing and recently completed programmes. ; European Union ; Internal Review
This paper addresses the magnitude and implications of food price changes in national and regional markets in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) with a view to provide the evidence base for effective policy action. Specifically, the paper: - analyses trends and outlooks in country and regional data, presents evidence on the regional food situation, and explores the nexus between high domestic food prices and global food prices, - highlights regional and national dimensions of food price increases and how they are related to food security in the region, and - provides practical short-, medium- and long-term options for governments and other stakeholders for addressing the problem posed by the food price crisis.