In our last article we said that our August article would fixture one James Ngugi inspired by one Mwai to become Ngugi wa Thiongo.
However currently the main news in Kenya today is the famine situation, prevailing in much of the country. In my opinion the way the whole situation has been handled is not progressive. Firstly there is the food used for famine, relief I think the importation of maize is the wrong thing to do. In future we should rely more on Mwea, Bura or Dominion farms for rice and oilseeds such as Soya, to give a more nutritious diet if possible. If not, import Soya and give rice this will aid local farming.
As for the solutions this is a serious challenge but it is a bit laughable to suggest that our food shortages are weather related and can be solved as such. I f we continue to delude ourselves with such thinking as our population increases then we can expect to maintain a permanent food appeal in our country.
Our food problems are caused by our education standards, employment levels and our land policies optimally most people should be employed so that they can buy their food whether locally grown or foreign. Secondly the relationship between farmers extension officers, research and marketing bodies should be very well coordinated but this is not currently the case.
These two factors are not easy to eradicate in the short term but the problem of land is fairly easy to correct. If you happen to drive to Thika and head towards Masinga or Muranga, or you drive to Kilifi or have ever been to Kericho. If you are aware of Ol Pajeta, Sasini tea and coffee, George Williamson together with other commercial farmers whether individual or corporate you will then agree that the statement that our food shortages are rain derived is a myth for now.
The Thika, Masinga area is home to Del Monte a fruit canning company and in all the years of famines in Kenya I cannot recall ever seeing their farm without its regular crop of pineapples year in year out. There is also Sasini in the same area currently they are into exotic plants and they are not complaining.
Kericho is the home of Uniliver tea a worldwide brand the area is generally green and tea is a tree plant but thay are able to farm profitably in Kenya. Other companies such as Homegrown have turned Kenya into the leading flower and horticultural exporter to Europe. This is an air, based business so you can see how sophisticated our farming is.
From the above it is clear that what we need is a more commercial, educated and capital intensive farming. There are several ways that this can be achieved.
One is through land consolidation this can be more easily achieved in the arid and semi arid lands and among the pastoralists and communities in Nyanza who either practice communal land ownership or have been adversely affected by the elements that they are willing to try out new ideas.
When land is consolidated as the case of the Mwea rice scheme and the Bura irrigation project. It is much easier to engage in large, scale commercial farming as uniliver tea does and get similar results. There are many benefits firstly it is easier to build dams canals, boreholes and to supply electricity, schools, housing and other social servicies to a community with a viable project that to individuals.
It is also easier to institutionalize activity and to invite public or private enterprise into professional farming partnerships. The local people are thus guaranteed of food, employment and other services as happens with Unilever tea. The Maasai also have communal tourism ventures, which they partner with private companies through their councils and they also have Magadi Soda a soda ash company having a similar industrial lease they can do the same with farming.
If people are particular about homesteads then the way to go is the out, grower system as practiced by sugar farmers in Kenya. The homesteads can be spared but the land consolidated on a harvest lease basis to facilitate efficient farming. Mumias sugar uses this system and also shares its wealth with other Kenyans as a public quoted company.
Other companies such as Homegrown and the Breweries contract farmers to grow what they need on their behalf. There is nothing new here farming under an umbrella body has proved to be more successful than individual farming and the various ways this has been done is spelt out here. Authorities should come out with a pro, active plan to spur these private initiatives to a larger countrywide level.
In areas where land is private as in central Kenya if KFA and AFC can be revived, that would be okay but just as they have co-operatives for milk and coffee and an agency for tea. They should be encouraged to form co-operatives for food crops that can assist them with finances, seeds, marketing, extension services and research. Profitable partnerships should be build between research firms whether local or foreign and indigenous farmers.
Another area where we are failing is in our colonial legacy. The colonialists left a shameless legacy as regards to land ownership, which those who inherited their positions continue to propagate.
I think we should start with a thousand acres and then move gradually to a hundred. We should make it clear that one has no business holding on to a thousand acres if you cannot guarantee Kenyans that you will provide them with goods or services worth a certain amount for each of those acres you hold.
It would serve Kenyans better if such land was auctioned as they do in Hong Kong on a weekly or monthly basis to commercial entities for 25 year leases if they can guarantee a certain turnover as has happened with Dominion farms in Nyanza. Hoarding of land is one thing that is impoverishing us. If the large land, owners are wise they can then start partnering with Zimbabwean, South African, American or local large scale farmers for their benefit and that of the country before they are de-possessed. This in my opinion is the way to go.
Now coming back to Ngugi, that is a man ageless in the mould of Gorky or Dickens he will definitely outlive most of us through his works. I was thinking of poking fun of him and reviewing his cultural ideas but things recently got a bit unfortunate for him so all that we can do now is wish him well.
Another interesting story recently is a chap who was fired for giving suggestions to the wildlife service it appears, in Kenya we go two steps forward and one step back. We need consultants and suggestions whether free or paid for, solicited or voluntary. If we could work closely with American enterprise we would shortly be like them. They appear to have time for work and time for play, which our former colonial masters sometimes mix for their amusement.
We need consultants such as Mckinnsey and Co, US Postal services, US Park services, energy and communications consultants to advice and partner with us to enable us to be as prosperous as Americans. The best diplomats and trade lobbyists are not civil servants but multi nationals operating in your country they are able to access their home market and look after mutual interest better than anybody else.
Let us not forget that Kenya's most successful farmer Del Monte was actually founded or at least greatly expanded by the American firm R J Reynolds. American firms also have a volume as opposed to price, based mentality.
