1st, November 2024
Nairobi City County Assembly Agriculture Committee Members were sensitized on the Safer Urban Food Systems pilot component that is being implemented in Nairobi through National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP), in order to make them better understand their role in the implementation of the pilot project.
National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP) is a five(5) year Government of Kenya and World Bank funded project with an objective to increase market participation and value chain addition for targeted farmers in select value chains in the project areas, in Nairobi City County.
“The project will be carried out at the ward level with an objective to increasing market participation and value addition for targeted small scale farmers”. Said the County Executive Member for Green Nairobi Ms. Maureen Njeri.
The CECM also pointed out that the initiative will address food safety across the supply chain, including interventions at the producer level, transportation, storage and marketing stages with a focus to improving food quality, ensuring traceability, strengthening regulations as well as raising consumer awareness.
Ms. Njeri assured that she was committed and determined to harmoniously work together with the legislative arm of the County Government to make sure the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Subsector delivers on its mandate.
Ms. Gladwell Cheruiyot, the County Chief Officer in charge of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Subsector mentioned that the sensitization of the Agriculture Committee members who will play an oversight role on the NAVCDP program is key in ensuring the success of the project which aims to ensure that Nairobi residents have access to safe, nutritious and affordable food. “We urge the assembly to support the department in ensuring that we have the right regulations that safeguard food sold in Nairobi”. She added.
The meeting also discussed the role of the committee in ensuring food safety and food waste issues are well articulated in the County, with Ms. Cheruiyot adding that the department is looking into addressing the food waste issue by engaging the youth in turning the organic waste into fertilizer.
Nairobi County Coordinator of the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project Mr. Joseph Kinyanjui stated that Climate Smart Safer Urban Food Systems pilot is one of the NAVCDP project components that intends to support the rollout of Urban food system pilots in Nairobi which is the major urban cluster in the country and parts of Kiambu, Kajiado and Machakos Counties bordering the city as peri-urban areas. The project will work with private sector actors as well as youth groups to reduce the waste menace in the food markets.
The pilot project will support urban and peri urban Agriculture, institutional and policy framework for safer urban food system and food markets infrastructure.
Food systems play a crucial role in addressing climate change; the way food is produced, processed, distributed and consumed has significant impacts on the environment and climate at large.
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