Why “Agriculture For Peace?”
As John Haberern, President of the Rodale Institute hypothesized, “There can be no peace until people have enough to eat”. Without Peace, we can never eradicate hunger or food insecurity, let alone enjoy the food we eat. The conflicts in different parts of the world, whether in Syria or in Mali or terrorist attacks in Nigeria or in ours- Kenya, come to us direct on our
media screens and more and more on our mobile phones. Even those in wars have to be fed, and those on the run from wars and disasters have to be fed too. Therefore, whatever we do, if we do not keep our eyes on the food situation, we may regret. Poverty, hunger and inequitable access to productive resources are precursors to conflicts in many of the underdeveloped areas in Kenya. At the center of all these is the conflict on land. In a country like Kenya that is endowed with rich natural resources and favorable climate, there is enough for everyone. But as Mahatma Gandhi would put it, there is not enough for anyone’s greed. To achieve peace, Kenyan farmers should promote agricultural development that is sustainable and inclusive. It should benefit all Kenyans including those generations that are yet to come. Only then, can we have lasting peace in Kenya. After every 5 years, Kenya is always at the brink of disintegration, with vicious violence and burning, and massacres in a number of parts of the country, reason: The person of a particular voting group was not announced the winner or otherwise the crowds are swayed to say, “We are on the winning side and you better join us”. If we recall, immediately following 2007/2008 violence, Kenya was short of food and in fact our development partners had to come to our aid. Goroganics Kenya focuses on sustainable agriculture farming practices on small marginal farmers in pursuit of improving their lives while at the same time bringing together conflicting communities to dialogue around agricultural activities fostering harmony.
