Agricultural sector is the country’s economic lifeblood, providing livelihoods to millions of Kenyans and contributes significantly to the nation’s GDP.

 Key agricultural value chains, including cereals, horticulture and dairy, hold immense potential for growth and prosperity.

However, the specter of post-harvest losses looms large over the sectors. What do they offer and why is it important that we solve this problem?  Food security; Cereals are staples in Kenyan diets, and reducing post-harvest losses in this value chain is paramount to ensuring a consistent and adequate food supply. By preserving more of the harvest, Kenya can enhance its food security.

Economic growth is another key factor. Smallholder farmers in these value chains can significantly increase their income, boost rural economies, and contribute to overall economic growth. It is also paramount to find a permanet solution to post-harvest losses to ensure resource efficiency. This would mean using fewer resources like water, land, and energy to produce the same amount of food, aligning with sustainable agricultural practices.

Climate change poses increasing threats to cereal production. Post-harvest loss reduction measures can enhance resilience of the sector to climate-related challenges

Export potential is another key factor. Kenya’s horticultural products, such as fruits and vegetables, are in high demand globally. Addressing post-harvest losses ensures that more products meet international standards, boost export revenue. Also, produce from each of these value chains provides vital nutrients for consumers.

Dairy farming is resource-intensive. Reducing post-harvest losses can lead to more efficient resource use and reduced environmental impact. Addressing post-harvest losses in these value chains requires concerted efforts from a cross-section of stakeholders.  Infrastructure development to facilitate the movement of produce.  Of great importance also is technology adoption to ease logistics, purchase, payments and supply chain management.

Capacity building to ensure farmers and suppliers on the value chain are better equipped and informed for efficiency . Market access at each point of the value chain.

Policy support such as tax incentives and other legal frameworks.

According to an IGAD report on post-harvest loss in IGASD countries, “Gender relations are a primary factor in the social and economic context that shaped the functioning of food value chains at all levels and influences the division of labour, roles, and responsibilities, and creates disparities in access to and control over resources, services, knowledge, and technologies. Failure to consider gender and the youth in post-harvest management can negatively impact the sustainability of post-harvest loss reduction measures.” When it comes to climate change, the same IGAD report states that “the impacts of climate change that cause losses will be on harvesting, drying, primary handling, packaging, storage management, processing, and marketing. These impacts will be felt at household, national, regional, and global levels.”

That said, with large problems come large opportunities and it is with this in mind, that AICCRA, Alliance for Biodiversity & CIAT, and the Accelerate for Impact Platform have teamed up with The Rallying Cry to launch Kenya AgriHack. We believe this is the first hackathon of its kind, bringing different stakeholders – farmers on the ground, the agri-tech community, academics, researchers and government officials into one room to solve this pressing issue.

We are looking for post-harvest solutions that are climate-smart as well as gender-responsive.

— The writer is the Communications Manager, The Rallying Cry