‘Perspectives of Policy Makers
on PWD & agriculture and
opportunities for inclusion’
Serah Nderitu
(S.Nderitu@acts.or.ke)
ACTS
28th May 2013
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
 Agricultural
policy landscape in Kenya
 Perspectives on inclusion of PWD
Policy level
 Institutional level

Why Agriculture?
 Agriculture
is the mainstay of Kenyan
Economy:
 Annual contribution of 26% GDP
 Accounts for 65% of Kenya’s total
exports
 Provides more than 70% of informal
employment in rural areas
AGRICULTURE & FOOD SECURITY IN POLICY CONTEXT

The central role of agriculture & foodsecurity is
acknowledged in national and sectoral policies and
strategies:
 Kenyan Constitution, 2010
 Kenya Vision 2030, 2008
 Economic Recovery Strategy (ERS) for Wealth and





Employment Creation, 2003-2007
Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme
(CAADP) of NEPAD, 2002
Strategy for Revitalising Agriculture (SRA), 2004-2014
The Agriculture Sector Development Strategy (ASDS), 2010 –
2020
National Food and Nutrition Security Policy , (2011)
Draft National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture and
Livestock Policy (Draft, 2010)
a) Agricultural Sector Development Strategy (ASDS),
2010 - 2020

ASDS is the overall national policy document for the sector
ministries and stakeholders in Kenya
Vision for ASDS: A food-secure and prosperous nation
 Agriculture as a business to ensure food security & ensure poverty
reduction

Strategically positions the sector as a key driver for
delivering the 10% annual economic growth rate envisaged
under Vision 2030
 To achieve the overall goal of the agricultural sector to
achieve an average growth rate of 7% over the next 5 years…
2 more to go…

Contd.’ Agricultural Sector Development Strategy
(ASDS), 2010 – 2020
Policy Statements & Opportunities
‘Gender policy to be developed to ensure women’s
empowerment and mainstream the needs and concerns
of women, men , girls and boys’…
 ‘Promote gender analysis and gender-based budgeting in
all community-based development programmes through
appropriate participatory approaches’
 ‘Attract youth into agriculture – incentives through Youth
Enterprise Fund, CDF or Innovation Fund for Agriculture
and Agribusiness’.
 What about other gender groups (PWD)

b) National Food and Nutrition Security Policy
(FNSP) , (2011)

Broad objectives:

To increase the quantity and quality of food available,
accessible and affordable to all Kenyans at all times.

To achieve good nutrition for optimum health of all
Kenyans.

To protect vulnerable populations using innovative and
cost-effective safety nets linked to long-term
development
Contd.’ National Food and Nutrition Security Policy
(FNSP) , (2011)
Policy issue & Opportunities

Food security and nutrition information – ‘…to build capacity and
ensure the availability of quality and timely food and nutrition
security data, information…’

Nutrition improvement - ‘…providing special nutrition interventions
for specific vulnerable groups and creating awareness to provision of
nutritious foods to all family members and especially children…’

School nutrition and nutrition awareness: ‘…to have all Kenyans
knowledgeable about good basic nutrition required to live a healthy
and active life…’,
o
PWD classified as a vulnerable group...a need to develop
innovative mechanisms to reach these populations in emergency
situations
c) National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture and
Livestock Policy (UPAL) , Draft 2010
Broad objective
 ‘Promote and regulate sustainable UPAL development to
improve incomes, food security, create employment and
reduce poverty to enhance living standard; with a focus on
land use, public health and environment’
 In Nairobi, the urban poor populations in the informal
settlements are the major actors in the sub-sector
 Vulnerable groups eg. Female HH, Child HH, retirees,
widows, people with limited formal education are
particularly involved in UPA (Kagethe et al. 2008)
 Cultivation of crops eg. kales, tomatoes, local vegetable for
the local market is on the increase (ibid.)
c) National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture and
Livestock Policy (UPAL) , Draft 2010
Policy Statements & Opportunities
 ‘UPAL will develop and implement innovative programmes that




enhance equity between men and women in UPAL production and
marketing’… What about other gender groups? PWD, youth??
‘…Promotion of use of appropriate technologies suitable for
reduced land for agriculture eg. high value and land intensive
crops and livestock enterprises’ PWD??
Development and capacity building in use of simple technologies
suitable for reduced land for agriculture eg. hydroponics and high
value and land intensive crops, livestock enterprises PWD
Incoorporate gender concerns in UPAL programmes and develop
innovative programmes that enhance equity between men and
women in UPAL production and marketing
Form and strengthen producer organisations for UPAL activities to
enhance access to credit, markets and other support services
d) Draft Gender mainstreaming policy MoA
(2010)

Absence of gender disaggregated data means that the
contribution of men and women to agriculture is poorly
understood and their needs ignored in development
planning
PWD data??
National Agricultural Sector Extension Policy 2007
…’Gender important in agricultural extension and the need to
target vulnerable groups among clientele including PwD,
orphans, resource-disadvantaged …’

OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCLUSION: PERSPECTIVES OF
POLICY MAKERS
 None
of the agricultural policies mention or
recognise the participation of PWD in agriculture…
 The need to develop pro-PWD policies in
agriculture through:
Inclusive policy making : involve PWD in the policy making
process
• Creative & well informed advocacy strategies to champion
PWD integration into agricultural policies
• Build the capacity of PWD to engage with policy making
process
• Affirmative Action for all policies to include a component of
PWD
•

Promote & build capacity on technologies that enhance
PWD participation in agriculture e.g. sack gardens, green
house, assistive devices (81%)
CONTD’ OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCLUSION: PERSPECTIVES
OF POLICY MAKERS

Strengthen partnerships, collaboration & linkages amongst
various agencies providing research and extension in the
related sectors
Create a department/desk at MoA to target PWDs and vice
versa at NCPD (agriculture desk)
• Encourage knowledge exchange between stakeholders eg.
Existing projects
•

Improve access to capital eg. credit access for PWD at
subsidized interest rates, set up a PWD fund


Awareness creation on opportunities for PWD in agriculture
through media, at the community level etc.


75% of sampled population alluded to this
65% of sample
Creative market strategies for products produced by PWD to
combat stigma (Value addition)
Inclusion at the institutional level
Strategic planning to
integrate PWD in
institutional programmes
and plans
Domestication national
policies
eg.
form
committees to oversee
PWD
needs, develop
pro-PWD
employment
policies
Targeted
budgetary
allocations to enhance
PWD inclusion at the
institutional level
Infrastructure
development
eg.
Cloak rooms, parking,
rumps
Contd’Inclusion at the institutional
level ’
Awareness creation
& capacity building of
non-PWD on PWD
issues
Put up deliberate measures to
deal with stigma
• Your thoughts?
•Questions?