Research News
Better plans are needed to anticipate food crisis in Kenya
Ten million people could go hungry in Kenya after harvests failed because of drought. The government has declared a national emergency, requested support from international aid agencies, diverted money from development projects to food aid, and has used up its reserves. Amid the crisis a University of Nairobi researcher specialising in climate change, Professor Richard Odingo has suggested that this could have been averted with better planning.
Odingo, speaking at the Nairobi launch of the DFID and DANIDA (Danish International development Agency)-backed study on the economic impact of climate change in Kenya said despite having efficient warning mechanisms successive governments had failed to heed warnings and prepare for disastrous droughts which appear to occur about every five years.
"Our planners and decision-makers should take these warning seriously… it is necessary for Kenya to identify ways of reacting to the variable climate patterns".
The Stockholm Environment Institute will carry out the study of climate change impacts and their economic costs for Kenya, which it is hoped will inform decision-making by policy makers in Kenya and elsewhere in Africa.
More Information
- The Standard (Kenya): We have ignored signs of five-year cycle, experts say
- DFID support to this project is provided by DFID Kenya
- DFID also funds the Climate change adaptation in Africa research and development programme (CCAA)