Nutrient-Dense Crops for Rural and Peri-Urban Smallholders in Kenya—A Regional Social Accounting Approach

Henning Krause,Ulrike Grote,Anja Faße

doi:10.3390/su11113017

Abstract

Kenya ranks among the countries with the highest micronutrient deficiency worldwide. Due to their high micronutrient content, African indigenous vegetables (AIVs) can be a solution to this problem, and urban areas in Kenya have seen a rise in demand for these crops in the previous decade. To fill the gap between supply and demand, programmes to promote AIV production have been implemented in rural and peri-urban areas. However, the effects of increased AIV production on income and food security in the regional economies are not clear. Thus, in this analysis, we first evaluate differences between the livelihoods of household groups with different levels of food security in rural and peri-urban Kenya using a two-step cluster analysis. Then, we generate a regional social accounting matrix (SAM) and calculate the direct and indirect income effects of AIVs and other crops grown in the area using a multiplier analysis. For the analysis, a total of 706 small-scale vegetable producers in four counties in Kenya were interviewed in 2015. Households in rural areas were more food insecure, especially with respect to the utilization and stability dimension of food security. Multiplier analysis showed increased indirect income effects of AIVs in the regional economy compared to those of many cash crops. We suggest further promoting the production of AIVs in rural and peri-urban Kenya.

Highlights

With approximately 20% of its population undernourished, Kenya still ranks among the top countries with micronutrient deficiencies worldwide [1,2]
Due to their high micronutrient content, African indigenous vegetables (AIVs) can be a solution to this problem, and urban areas in Kenya have seen a rise in demand for these crops in the previous decade
We generate a regional social accounting matrix (SAM) and calculate the direct and indirect income effects of AIVs and other crops grown in the area using a multiplier analysis

Summary

Introduction

With approximately 20% of its population undernourished, Kenya still ranks among the top countries with micronutrient deficiencies worldwide [1,2]. African indigenous vegetables (AIVs) have very high levels of micronutrients and are a suitable tool to combat food insecurity, especially micronutrient deficiencies [4,5]. Because of their increasing popularity, AIVs have seen a rise in their appreciation and demand in urban areas in Kenya in the previous decade, leading to the increased production of these crops [6]. In light of increasing urbanization in Kenya, strengthening these economic linkages between rural areas and urban markets can foster the economic development of the entire country [8,9]

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Methods

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Discussion

Conclusion