STAKEHOLDERS ASPECTS INFLUENCING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FOOD SECURITY PROJECTS IN VIHIGA COUNTY

Abstract

Food security mostly depends on the growth and distribution of nutritious foods. Approximately two billion of the eight billion people worldwide are food insecure. In Kenya, food security has been a great challenge due to natural hazards, conflict and population growth over time. This study sought to identify the existing and distribution of agriculture and nutrition projects supported by stakeholders in Vihiga, the link between agriculture and nutrition goals on food security, factors influencing the implementation of food security projects, and the impact of public policy on food security. A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted, employing mixed method of data collection. The study purposively selected thirty stakeholders, consisting of ten farmers and ten community health volunteers (CHVs) who provided qualitative data in two focus group discussions (FGD) as well as ten sessions of key informant interviews (KII) with individual stakeholders. The themes formed from the qualitative data were analysed thematically and manually, and verbatim quotes were used to explain the findings. Additionally, two hundred and seventy-three (273) structured questionnaires were used forS quantitative data. The results were analysed using (SPSS) version 20. The data revealed that the main agricultural project was; National Agricultural Rural Inclusive Growth Project (NARIGP) majoring in Dairy, Local Chicken, Banana, and vegetables. (75% ) of farmers were beneficiaries of these programs where (48%) were supported by indigenous vegetables while a small number of them (4%) were engaged in Dairy farming. There was a misconnection between nutrition and agriculture linkages on food security. The study found that the priority for agriculture is income generation, rather than household consumption. Agriculture is essential to nutrition, but that connection is overlooked. Poor collaboration was found to be among the factors influencing project implementation. This contributed to unequal program coverage which posed as obstacle in aligning agricultural projects with local nutrition demands. Limited land ownership presents a challenge for smallholder farmers’ ability to meet both income and nutrition needs, as approximately a third of surveyed (n=97, 35.5%) reported owning less than 0.5 acres of land while (n=59, 17.6%) had 2 acres and above. Moreover, although food and agriculture policies are in place, gaps still exist in adhering to these policies. It was revealed that budget allocation to the agriculture sector is at (2.4.%) which is still a quarter way to the international commitment of (10%). The study recommends that farmers be trained in intensive agriculture technology to help produce more from their small plots. The stakeholders should develop strategies to collaborate on specific projects related to agriculture and nutrition for example through strengthening existing positive relationships. The County should work to embrace inclusivity in policy formulation. Fast track the development of the County Agri-nutrition strategy to promote the integration of nutrition into agriculture programs and vice versa.