By: Tengetile Mphila
The challenges that the world has been facing over the past decades as a result of global warming and climate change have been devastating. Most economies, especially those that are fully dependent on agriculture are still trying to figure out ways to boost their economies as well as manage to be food secure. In many African countries, smallholder farmers are one of the most vulnerable groups to climate change, yet efforts to support farmer adaptation are hindered by the lack of financial support and information on how they are experiencing and responding to climate change. The introduction of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) was as a result of these challenges and also to be a solution to the weakening agriculture sector of many countries.
CSA may be defined as an approach for transforming and reorienting agricultural development under the new realities of climate change. The definition provided by FAO is that CSA
is agriculture that sustainably increases productivity, enhances resilience, reduces/removes greenhouse gases where possible, and enhances achievement of national food security
and development goals.
This type of agriculture puts into consideration the climatic conditions of a certain area then comes up with the best suitable agricultural practices for that area. This is the best and most efficient way to save resources at the same time achieve good results. If applied well, this could be one of the best ways to achieve the food security pillar of the Kenyan government’s Big Four Agenda. Research shows that farmers in Kenya are slowly adapting to Climate Smart Agriculture. Amongst other reasons, the slow adaptation is as a result of financial inabilities to practice CSA. Hence, there is need for not only the government of Kenya, but all governments in the continent to capitalize on this practice as a way of achieving food security.
CSA not only looks at farming but has a wide range of entry points such as information technologies, insurance schemes, value chains and the strengthening of institutional and political enabling environments. The integration of these entry points and the consideration of solutions in the form of agri-insurance, agri-technology agri-finance is vital for farmers who are working tirelessly to ensure that there is food security for all.
Agribusiness Today Magazine aims to be one of the solutions for Kenyan farmers. Through its seven pillars, the magazine seeks to bring together stakeholders with solutions for all the farmers problems. Such solutions come in the form of information about agri-finance, agri-technology, manufacturing, agri-insurance and how to access the stakeholders dealing with each pillar. Since CSA requires financial support, the agri-finance and agri-insurance pillars of the magazine aim to bring smart financial solutions to farmers which will enhance them to yield good results and also help the government of Kenya to realize its agenda of enhancing food security in the country.