Kenya’s food crisis: ‘With this kind of farming, I only make a loss’
It is 9am in the morning in Ingbor village in Nakuru Rift Valley, Kenya. The sun is already high up. Wind whips dust into the eyes as the temperature soars. There is no sign of rain.
James Kipkoech, a 56-year-old maize farmer, stands outside a welding and fabrication workshop with a green notebook, ready to take down stock and instruct his workers on the day’s jobs.
He barely bothers with farming these days. Unpredictable rainfall means this welding and fabrication workshop is his lifeline. “With this kind of farming, I only make a loss,” Kipkoech says. “Maize dried up in the farm and I have used a lot of money, so I prefer this business because it pays me well.”
CIFOR