Nancy Onyango interviewed Ingrid Korving, Agriculture Counsellor for Kenya and Tanzania, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, earlier than the Mashariki Summit 2021, which is able to concentrate on pathways to addressing meals & vitamin safety in Kenya and Tanzania in COVID occasions…
The Netherlands is the second largest meals exporter on the planet. It’s well-known for its flowers, cheese, tomatoes and greens. The Dutch horticulture sector has an in depth logistics community. Greens harvested within the Netherlands will be offered in New York the exact same day. How did the Netherlands, one of many smallest nations on the planet, grow to be a powerhouse in meals manufacturing?
The Netherlands grew to become a powerhouse in meals manufacturing by adoption of good and sustainable agriculture approaches. The federal government has coverage and assist for round agriculture and promotion of improvements, which makes room for sustainable farming practices, which make the Netherlands stand out.
The Dutch made an oath that goes a bit of like this: “producing twice as a lot meals utilizing half as many sources”. Because the flip of the century, many farmers have decreased dependence on water for key crops by as a lot as 90%.
Dutch farmers have eradicated the usage of chemical pesticides in greenhouses. Dutch poultry and livestock producers have reduce their use of antibiotics by 60% within the final decade.
By 2050 there are anticipated to be 9 billion individuals on Earth. Numbers like these shake the agricultural provide chain. It is going to be a make or break second in human historical past until many extra farms undertake round practices.
The Netherlands is the second largest exporter of agricultural merchandise on the planet, second solely to the U.S. Its analysis institutes, analysis universities and public-private partnerships between science, trade and authorities gas this. This makes it doable to be a world chief in agrifood innovation – from farm to fork.
Fifteen out of the highest 20 largest agrifood corporations have main manufacturing or Analysis and improvement websites within the Netherlands. These embrace Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Heineken, Cargill, and Kraft Heinz. This goes to indicate how innovation within the agrifood sector is essential in sustainable meals manufacturing.
The superb connectivity to Europe and all continents supplies entry to over 244 million customers. A powerful infrastructure, logistics and distribution community together with deep-water ports assist in the transport meals merchandise in numerous locations.
In response to The State of Meals Safety and Diet within the World 2021 report by FAO, it’s estimated that Sustainable Growth Purpose 2 (Zero Starvation by 2030) might be missed by a margin of practically 660 million individuals. Of those 660 million, some 30 million could also be linked to the pandemic’s lasting results. World starvation elevated in 2020 underneath the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic of the two.37 billion individuals going through reasonable or extreme meals insecurity, one third (799 million) are present in Africa. What will be accomplished?
There isn’t any single, straightforward resolution to world starvation, however that doesn’t imply it can’t be solved. There’s a variety of methods out there to us, each an institutional stage and a person stage that may assist finish starvation for good.
The options to starvation are each easy and sophisticated: What is straightforward are the precise interventions themselves, a lot of that are steps that may simply be taken. Extra complicated is making that change occur in a long-lasting and sustainable method, and discovering the appropriate mixture of options for every particular person neighborhood.
The Netherlands method features a collaboration by analysis institutes, analysis universities and public-private partnerships between science, trade and authorities. The collaboration is geared toward discovering appropriate options to fight meals insecurity. African nations can profit from this method.
Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Growth Targets affirm the dedication of the African Union member states and the worldwide neighborhood to finish international poverty and starvation by 2030. In response to a latest report by the International Alliance for Improved Diet titled, Affect of COVID-19 on Kenya’s Meals Programs , ” The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted native meals methods in numerous methods, making it tough to satisfy shifting shopper preferences, disrupting the provision networks of SMEs and leaving a lot of the inhabitants meals insecure, by way of each amount and high quality of meals. Rainfall between March and Could 2021 was beneath common in a number of elements of the nation, leading to crop failures in Uasin-Gishu county (the nation’s meals basket), drought in Turkana County, deteriorating animal physique circumstances that led to deaths in Mandera, Marsabit and Turkana counties, negatively affecting milk manufacturing and consumption, and common acute water, meals and pasture scarcity”.
How can we get again on monitor to eliminating starvation and meals insecurity in Kenya?
We are able to get again on monitor by adopting the next.
Local weather-Good Agriculture (CSA) method. This promotes farming practices that sustainably improve productiveness and strengthens resilience to local weather associated disasters. These practices embrace diversification of crop varieties, conservation agriculture, built-in pest administration, post-harvest administration, rising entry to improved farming expertise and applied sciences, and strengthening hyperlinks with the personal sector to facilitate entry to agricultural inputs from seeds to new tools reminiscent of photo voltaic water pumps.
Sustainable Agriculture – If managed properly, our pure sources can present sufficient nutritious meals for everybody within the planet. That is whereas additionally producing sustainable incomes and defending the atmosphere.
Pests and illness prevention and management – Crops are usually not solely threatened by drought and flood. Pests and ailments additionally have an effect on them. Danger administration is essential to make sure preparedness whereas making certain that the required controls are in place. Danger administration will information in arising with methods for illness and pest threat administration.
Use of applicable applied sciences for manufacturing, – sustainable agriculture e.g. utilizing out there sources of power for manufacturing, precision farming. Use of native out there sources for native options
Worth addition by means of agro processing, – e.g. Solar-drying greens, a standard follow, preserves micronutrients and prolongs shelf lives. Photo voltaic dryers, which function by (you guessed it) publicity to daylight are eco-friendly gadgets that speed up this course of, whereas additionally decreasing contamination and minimizing nutrient loss.
Environment friendly transport and storage goes a great distance within the prevention of meals loss. An environment friendly logistic system
Agricultural prosperity within the Netherlands is primarily pushed by round agriculture. This consists of farming with out producing and emitting pointless waste, utilizing fertilizers that degrade the land, water conservation and harvesting, whereas being acutely aware of meals security and the planet. Is that this a possibility for Kenya? May the identical method work, albeit the nation’s social financial context and farming trajectory?
The Netherlands goals to grow to be the worldwide chief in round agriculture by 2030. This ambition entails a shift from development in manufacturing volumes and value value reductions in direction of optimization in useful resource use and meals manufacturing, in concord with nature. The federal government has revealed a plan of motion flip this imaginative and prescient into actuality.
The Netherlands can also be Kenya’s pure associate, collaborating with authorities, companies and specialists to facilitate the transition to sustainable agriculture.
There isn’t any ‘blueprint’ for adopting a round agriculture method. It’s a collective search by farmers, companies, researchers and policymakers to hunt for options that optimize manufacturing whereas having a minimal impression on our sources. Kenya has the potential of arising with native options that optimize the ecological circumstances whereas embracing trendy expertise. It’s all about looking for solutions to how optimizing of various flows within the meals system can provide minimal stress on the atmosphere, nature and local weather, whereas optimizing yields and sparing sources.
How is the Netherlands supporting Kenya’s transition to round agriculture?
The developments in Round Financial system in Kenya provide a broad vary of enterprise alternatives for progressive each Kenya and Dutch corporations. Discover beneath some examples of Dutch applied sciences in Kenya.
Throughout your tenure, have there been alternatives for cross-pollination of expertise, innovation and expertise between Kenya and the Netherlands? What have been a number of the outcomes?
Throughout my tenure in Kenya, we had been capable of set up the Agriculture working group. This can be a framework, which permits each Kenya and the Netherlands to work on bilateral cooperation within the space of agriculture. Key areas of cooperation are within the horticulture, potato, aquaculture and dairy sectors. Dutch experience and applied sciences are shared all through complete worth chains. Each Kenya and the Netherlands closely rely on agriculture and worldwide commerce for financial development. Their respective insurance policies additionally replicate this: agriculture and meals safety play a central position within the Huge 4 agenda of President Uhuru Kenyatta in addition to the Netherlands’ progressive round financial system coverage.
Some examples of outcomes embrace
Capability constructing for pests and illness management e.g. False Coddling moth which continues to be a threat for Kenya’s horticulture produce – Working collectively to cease the False Codling Moth | Kenia | Agroberichten Buitenland
Data switch in aquaculture – by means of the institution of the primary regional aquaculture academy .The aquaculture trade in Kenya advantages from worldwide data switch by means of the primary regional Aquaculture Academy | Nieuwsbericht | Agroberichten Buitenland
The Pesticide Administration Initiative East African Area: Kenya (PEAR) This was a challenge between the Kenya Ministry of agriculture by means of the Pest product Management Board(PCPB) and Wagenigen College (WUR). The intention of the challenge was to enhance pesticides administration for sustainable agriculture in Kenya. This challenge additionally concerned different stakeholders together with the personal sector , studying and analysis institutes.
Examples of agricultural organizations in Kenya leveraging the Kenya-Dutch cooperation in direction of rising meals provide in Kenya and past?
Kenya and the Netherlands have labored with numerous organizations and corporations as a way to obtain meals safety. An instance of this partnership will be discovered throughout the potato worth chain. We have now an ongoing challenge particularly the Kenya Netherlands seed potato challenge. This challenge consists of the collaboration between Kenya and the Netherlands in making a conducive atmosphere for the expansion of the potato sector. Organizations like Kenya Plant Well being Inspectorate providers (KEPHIS), the Nationwide Potato Council of Kenya (NPCK) and Kenya Agricultural and Livestock analysis group (KALRO) amongst different have been concerned. The collaboration has concerned
Data and experience alternate. The Netherlands Normal Inspection Service for Agricultural Seeds and Seed Potatoes (NAK) and Netherlands Meals and Client Product Security Authority (NVWA) have been concerned in capability constructing and coaching inspectors with Kenyan Plant Well being Inspectorate Providers (KEPHIS).
Capability constructing actions with the Kenyan Ministry of agriculture and county employees on seed potato manufacturing, mechanization and storage applied sciences.
Manufacturing of Kenya potato selection catalogues and group of potato conferences along with Nationwide potato Council of Kenya (NPCK).
The Netherlands additionally carried out a potato ailments surveillance with a number of stakeholders together with Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau Worldwide (CABI) in six potato-growing counties in Kenya. The outcomes of the surveillance will information methods for illness and pest threat administration.
Along with personal sector, our Embassy organized commerce gala’s and potato discipline days to create consciousness among the many farmers on the newest potato varieties and applied sciences.
What has been the position of multisector partnerships and communities of follow in making certain strategic transformation of the agricultural sector in Kenya? Some examples of latest initiatives?
The Dutch means of working entails the Dutch Diamond Method. Right here the Authorities, enterprise neighborhood, data institutes and NGOs work collectively to make sure inclusive and built-in options to challenges going through the sector.
We consider that this method would work for different nations together with Kenya. Because of this, most of our tasks embody this method. A superb instance is the impression cluster animal feed. This Affect Cluster Feed ccomprises of Kenyan and Dutch corporations and establishments working collectively. The consortium additionally entails data and analysis institutes. The consortium goals to offer data and switch experience throughout the animal feed worth chain. That is with a view to fixing a number of the challenges affecting animal feed.
The Mashariki Summit is a collaborative discussion board organised by the Netherlands Alumni Affiliation of Tanzania (NAAT) and the Netherlands Alumni Affiliation of Kenya (NAAK). The summit is devoted to key rising questions linking the COVID-19 pandemic and meals vitamin & safety in Kenya and Tanzania. As a result of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Mashariki Summit might be held nearly in September 2021. The Summit will carry collectively over 200 individuals from Kenya, Tanzania, the Netherlands and globally with a number of classes held over the course of three days.