Climate change and exhausted soils are threatening families’ food security in the agriculture-rich Nyandarua County. 

Residents of Mukungi location in Kinangop have gone for two seasons without proper harvest, according to a village elder John Njoroge. 

“Potatoes, peas and maize are no longer doing well here. The potato crop is getting extinct for reasons we don’t know,” said Njoroge as he urged for food donations from the government and leaders. 

Another resident, Mercy Mwihaki, appealed to leaders to donate water storage tanks so that families can start irrigating kitchen gardens to grow vegetables. 

“Since our usual crops are no longer doing well, we can start kitchen gardens if we get water tanks so that we can improve nutrition intake through proper diet,” Mwihaki said, explaining that due to unreliable water supply in their Mukaro sub-location, the water tanks would be of help. 

A preacher, Joseph Waweru, argued that the poor crop returns are due to a lack of fertiliser since the subsidised input is not reaching people. He said farmers have resorted to using animal manure. 

Mukungi sub-location assistant chief John Kigo attributed the poor food security to last year’s flash floods that destroyed the entire crop of the season. 

“People are starving because rain destroyed crops last year. People did not harvest anything,” the administrator said. 

Kigo, together with his colleagues in the administration, Paul Gitua Mwangi (assistant chief Kiambariki sub-location), Joseph Gitumo, assistant chief Mukaro sub-location and Mary Wangui Gichuhi, assistant chief Nandarash sub-location, appealed for food donations by well-wishers to residents of their areas. 

They were speaking when hundreds of people thronged Mukungi stadium to receive food donations from Nyandarua Woman Representative Faith Gitau last Friday. 

The diminishing food security is threatening gains made in the fight against malnutrition and stunted growth that have dogged Nyandarua residents for a long time. 

Nyandarua is among devolved units with high malnutrition-related maladies among them a stunted growth rate, standing at 19 per cent according to the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Housing Survey.

Last year, with help from two organisations – Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and Care Kenya, the county developed a five-year action plan to combat malnutrition. 

Potato farming, which is one of Nyandarua’s economic and food mainstay is diminishing due to what is believed to be a disease that spread from potato seeds imported from Europe. 

The county government has been trying to fight off the potato disease by developing disease-resistant varieties.