Nairobi — The disruption of Ukrainian agriculture caused by Russia’s invasion is creating a shortage of commodities in African countries such as Kenya, which heavily rely on imported grain, fertilizer and irrigation equipment. To help meet this challenge, the U.S. government is working with Kenyan agricultural‑sector companies to strengthen the industry. Development agency USAID says it is critically important to invest in agriculture to reduce shocks that arise from external events.
David Gosney, USAID’s mission director in Kenya, explained, “There will be more work; they will be able to capitalize on new technologies in terms of seed and other productivity means. We have already talked about solar agriculture, irrigation and other critical factors that we are highlighting here.” Kenyan fertilizer producer David Auerback told VOA that his firm, Sanergy, will double organic‑fertilizer production after receiving a $1.2 million award to produce fertilizer for Kenyan farmers this year. “Being able to produce locally is very valuable,” he said. “Our organic fertilizer is increasing farmers’ crop yields by 30 %. We are working with about 10,000 farmers and 1,000 agrovets in virtually every county in Kenya, and this support from USAID helps us accelerate production so we can reach all these farmers even faster.”
The United States announced grants worth around $5.1 million to agricultural‑sector companies on Monday at an American Chamber of Commerce summit in Nairobi. Moses Kuria, Kenya’s minister for trade and investment, told the forum that shared principles have been key to such collaborations. “It is a joint initiative because we are negotiating on the basis of shared values—values we share on diversity, climate‑change sustainability, and digital trade,” he said.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, on a week‑long visit to Africa, said America will increase investment in the continent and help spur economic growth in the region. Harris is the fifth senior U.S. official to visit Africa this year.
Comments are closed for this story.