Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

This member contributed to:

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      To ensure the inclusion of marginalized groups, sustainability, and protection against commercialization risks for Indigenous Peoples' food and knowledge systems, the report can incorporate the following strategies:

      1. Engagement and Participation: Actively involve Indigenous communities in the report's development through consultations, workshops, and participatory research methods. This ensures their voices, needs, and perspectives are central to the findings.
      2. Cultural Sensitivity: Recognize and respect the cultural significance of Indigenous food systems and knowledge. Incorporate traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) alongside scientific approaches to enhance sustainability practices.
      3. Legal Protections: Recommend legal frameworks that protect Indigenous intellectual property rights over traditional knowledge and food systems, preventing unauthorized commercialization and exploitation.
      4. Sustainable Practices: Highlight and promote sustainable agricultural practices that Indigenous communities use, ensuring that these methods are documented and valued.
      5. Capacity Building: Support training programs for Indigenous communities that enhance their ability to manage and protect their food systems and knowledge from external pressures.
      6. Policy Recommendations: Advocate for policies that prioritize the rights and interests of Indigenous Peoples, ensuring they have a say in decisions that affect their lands and resources.
      7. Monitoring and Evaluation: Establish mechanisms to monitor the impact of any commercial activities on Indigenous food systems, ensuring accountability and adaptive management.
      8. Intersectional Analysis: Address the intersection of various forms of marginalization (e.g., gender, socio-economic status) within Indigenous communities to ensure comprehensive inclusion.

      By implementing these strategies, the report can contribute to the resilience of Indigenous Peoples' food and knowledge systems while safeguarding against commercialization risks.

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      To foster inclusive rural transformation and gender equality in Kakamega, community engagement we use several key strategies:

      1. Awareness Campaigns: Conduct workshops and seminars to educate the community about gender equality and the benefits of inclusive development.
      2. Participatory Decision-Making: Involve women and marginalized groups in local governance and development planning processes to ensure their voices are heard.
      3. Capacity Building: Provide training for women in leadership, entrepreneurship, and vocational skills to enhance their economic empowerment.
      4. Access to Resources: Facilitate access to financial services, land rights, and agricultural resources for women and marginalized communities.
      5. Collaborative Partnerships: Work with local NGOs, government agencies, and community leaders to create programs that address the unique needs of the community.
      6. Cultural Sensitization: Address and challenge harmful cultural norms and practices that hinder gender equality through community dialogue and engagement.
      7. Monitoring and Evaluation: Establish mechanisms to track progress and gather feedback from the community to adapt strategies effectively.
      8. Youth Engagement: Involve youth in advocacy and educational initiatives to promote gender equality and rural development.

      By implementing these strategies, Kakamega has made significant strides toward inclusive transformation and gender equality, benefiting the entire community

    • Livestock is globally one of the mainstay of the agricultural communities. It provides 50% of the value of agricultural output globally and one third of the value in developing countries. 

      Livestock makes a distinct contribution to social and economic development of the rural masses. In Kenya, rural households earn a living from livestock farming and consider keeping livestock as a store of wealth.Small-scale livestock system plays a very important role in supporting rural livelihoods. Livestock fulfill many functions in addition to producing meat, milk and eggs functions include - provision of fertilizer, fuel, drought power and transport, a means of savings and investment; a buffer against crop failure and diverse cultural and religious roles.

      The voluntary guidelines is key in my advocacy work in Kenya we devolved governance this guidelines will influence policy making and implementation, Kakamega County government  channel funding to increase farmer herder adoption of livestock technologies appropriately suiting their contexts and increasing their livestock productivity." One Cow Initiative Program".

      The objective are in order if we could include: to support the visibility, recognition and enhancement of the already important role of small-scale livestock and to contribute to global and national efforts towards the eradication of hunger and poverty.

      Nature and scope: Definition Small-scale livestock producers are farmers raising small livestock such as poultry, goats, pigs and sheep. Pastoralists in Kenya we the Maasai who move with herds of cows to look for pasture.

      In Kakamega County we have the One Cow Initiative. County Government of Kakamega purchase and distribute in-calf heifers one cow per poor household program. Flagship programme in Department of Agriculture , Livestock, Co-operatives and Fisheries.It is meant to increase milk production in Kakamega while at the same time improve the livelihoods of local people. Kakamega County established Kakamega County Dairy Development Corporation through an Act of County Assembly in 2018 and mandated it to implement the one cow programme, establish Dairy smart farms. Since 2015 to date we (CSOs) in Kakamega County have been participating and influencing allocation to the program. The biggest challenge we have the way the beneficiaries are selected, no training on how to maintain and sustain the cow. World bank through Western Kenya Mitigation and Floods Project constructed building and equipped milk coolers in 2010 to date not operating. County government has started construction of a milk processing plant in Malava has not been completed due to budget constraints it is currently at 70% completion. 

      I believe through this guidelines it will enable CSOs ensure value for money fast track completion of the milk processing plant and operationalization milk coolers.