Once farmers have secure access to land, here are four core conditions they need to participate effectively in the economy and achieve food security:
- Secure the natural resource base. First, water for irrigation enables farmers to produce year round in order to help them plan ahead and sell at favorable times and prices. Farmers should be supported in procuring basic rainwater harvesting systems now, while Kenya and other African countries work toward more permanent solutions to their water problems. Second, proper soil testing would tell farmers what inputs they need to improve soil health and crop productivity. This is essential. Currently, farmers have to send soil samples to the big cities for analysis. While organizations like soilcares which brings soil testing technology to the farmers’ fields have done tremendous work, such efforts need to be expanded to reach all farmers.
- Alternative financing options are a must for smallholder farmers who are largely cash-strapped and unbanked. Without access to finance on favorable terms, high-quality supplies—like improved seeds—will remain out of reach. One option is to store data electronically that is required to secure financing. Some farmer records, such as bio data and farm profiles already exist in paper files. Adding information on transaction histories could enable farmers to access loans. For example, last year Farmer Thuku, an M-Farm farmer, was accorded a $3,800 loan using his transaction history with M-Farm.
- Institutions that ensure timely payment of farmers to allow farmers to progressively access bigger and better markets. In many cases today, a group of farmers selling to a supermarket will have to wait three months to receive their payment. Delayed payments interrupt the production schedule of the farmers, who cannot invest in the next season’s planting without payment. Financial institutions like Umati Capital have come up with solutions to bridge this gap through advancing payment to farmers. But such solutions are often expensive and unavailable for farmers of fresh produce. Therefore, the cycle of selling to the middleman for reduced price to get instant cash continues.
- Prioritize crucial infrastructure. It’s hard to be a farmer in Africa, and it’s even harder when you live up in the mountains and your only mode of transportation is a donkey cart, or when you have no cold room to store your produce, forcing you to sell immediately at a lower price. The development of transport, cold storage, and other crucial infrastructure should be a key priority for governments.
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