Climate change has been defined as a wicked problem, with food insecurity a portion to the pie. Food insecurity is a major problem that is not only affecting Kenya as a country but it affects all the countries in the world and with the increasing global population, drastic measures must be taken to ensure that we will be able to sustain the growing population in an environmentally friendly manner while aiming to achieve women and gender empowerment and similarly uplifting rural women and development. Seeing that this can only be solved through improvement of our environmental and food policies due to the complexity and intertwining of factors, there is a need for increased research in the field.
The global problem of climate change has been on the research table awaiting a holistic solution, without a single complete answer. However, there are multiple micro-solutions to the problem, it must be dealt with in chunks and segments. Food studies comprising of multiple aspects such as food security, land issues, food production, GM foods and gender issues in the food system. These single aspects fall under environmental and climate issues that are affecting our population. Achieving food security involves the continual efforts of all countries teaming together to resolve the growing issue.
Kenya has made efforts to achieve food security through the use of policy documents such as the Kenyan Constitution, the Kenyan Food Security Bill and the National Food Security and Nutrition Policy. These national documents have made strides to ensure that the needs of women and the rural population regarding agriculture are met and a way set to help in the achievement of food security. The Kenyan Constitution has been used as the referral point to the other documents. Through these documents, Kenya has encouraged rural development initiatives to crop up and assist to empower and educate women, the girl child and the rural communities on the how to ensure household food security. In the long run, through these initiatives food insecurity shall be eradicated.
Through Policy Evaluation, the KC, FSB and NFSNP have been scrutinized to see their effectiveness as instruments to eradicate food insecurity through women and gender empowerment with special emphasis on the rural women. These three policy documents have adequately met the international standards required for food policies. Nevertheless, a further step would be encouraged from the Kenyan government through the in-depth continued empowerment of rural women in the policy documents, by doing so they will be ensuring a secure future that is food secure and that women’s specific needs are catered to.
58 The initiatives and programmes that have been started in Kenya in conjunction with the Kenyan government are to help educate and empower the rural communities in Kenya.
Although they do not mainly target rural women and girls, they generally target the rural communities. These initiatives include USAID, Kenya Tuna Uwezo, Peace Initiative Kenya, ASAL Strategy of Vision 2030 and Rural Initiatives Development Programme. They have so far achieved educating and empowering some communities, this is a slow but sure step in the right direction for Kenya. The Kenyan government is therefore encouraged to continue enabling such initiatives to crop up and assist to eradicate food insecurity, hunger, malnutrition and gender inequality.
This thesis aimed to question the effectiveness of Kenya’s food security policy and whether it is up to par with international food security policies. It has been found that it is indeed up to international standards although there is still much more room to see improvement in the agricultural sector and in the households. The rural women and girls needs need to also be more clarified in detail as well as having these needs met and catered to. Through more initiatives and community development programs this can be achieved. The Kenyan government should also pass more laws that will help empower and facilitate the education of rural women and girls. If these needs are met, then the ensuring of food security in Kenya is easier attained.
This thesis plays the role of advancing research within food studies and food policy, as it has identified of the need to improve upon current, existing policies within Kenya but show the lack of specialization in rural women. With this improvement, it contributes to the global move in the achievement of food security for all of mankind. The Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries should also benefit from this academic paper to narrow upon the existing food insecurity within the country.
"I've always believed that when you educate a girl, you empower a nation." Queen Rania of Jordan
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