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The Impact of Covid-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic in Kenya

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The COVID-19 pandemic has affected several areas and sectors in Kenya which has disrupted the general livelihoods of Kenyan’s to a great extent. Agriculture is not an exception to the sectors that have been affected by the pandemic.  Notably, agriculture is the backbone of Kenya's economy and plays a major role in ensuring food and nutrition security of the population.  The agricultural sector also contributes to about 60% of the country's foreign exchange and provides employment opportunities to about 70% of the total population. Besides, it contributes about 25% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).                     Collective Farming   (Image Credits: Joseph Kanyi) In Kenya, Agriculture is mainly carried out in rural areas and plays a major role in the rural economy. Most farmers in rural areas and are the elderly whose immune systems are compromised thus susceptible to the coronavirus disease. Therefore despite the Ministry of Agriculture urging them to
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Kenyan Food System

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In Kenya, our food system is broken in that we depend on staples such as maize, rice, and wheat to fulfill our day to day dietary needs. However, it is sad to note that we eat these foods as some rely on fast foods such as fries and burgers without considering what is right for our bodies, the environment as well as the farmer. Having a crop that covers all these aspects is very important. The crops that can cover all these aspects are referred to as SMART foods. This might be a new term for most individuals, but the foods being described are foods that we know or have heard of. Smart foods are foods that fulfill the criteria of being Good for you (healthy and nutritious), Good for the planet (environmentally sustainable), and Good for the farmer (high yields, a wide range of uses, and climate smart). These crops/foods include sorghum, millets (pearl millet & finger millet) , pigeon peas, chickpea, green gram, and groundnuts.                (Credit: smartfood.org) How
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