3. Kenya: Rice from small-scale farmers sent to areas hit by drought (UN News Service)
Date Posted: June 1st, 2009
Kenyan farmers experienced very different fortunes this year. In western regions, rains were good, and so were harvests. But in the southeast and coastal regions, the short rains failed and yields were poor.
Now, the World Food Programme, or WFP, has purchased food from small-scale farmers in western Kenya to distribute in areas hit by drought. This is the first time that the WFP has purchased food from small-scale farmers in Kenya. About 550 farmers from Kisumu District contributed to a shipment of rice destined for food aid.
Burkand Oberle is Country Director for the WFP. He says it’s a win-win situation. The rice from Kisumu will provide immediate relief for those hit by drought. The Kisumu farmers receive income that they can re-invest for longer-term food security.
August 24th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
[...] Purchase for Progress is the World Food Programme’s (WFP’s) initiative to buy crops for food aid from small scale farmers. In June, we reported that the first food purchased through the program in Kenya was delivered to Kenyans hit by drought. (http://weekly.farmradio.org/2009/06/01/3-kenya-rice-from-small-scale-farmers-sent-to-areas-hit-by-dr...) [...]
August 15th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
[...] Kenya: Rice from small-scale farmers sent to areas hit by drought (FRW 68, June 2009) [...]