Homa Bay:A comprehensive action plan targeting the reduction of food losses and waste across the supply chain has been launched in Homa Bay County. This initiative aims to improve food security by ensuring both farmers and consumers benefit more from agricultural produce.
According to Kenya News Agency, the Homa Bay County Action Plan for Food Loss and Waste Reduction (2026-2031) was formulated in collaboration with the World Resources Institute (WRI), Busara Centre for Behavioural Economics, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, and financial institutions such as KCB. The plan outlines strategies to combat food losses at various stages, including production, transportation, storage, marketing, and consumption.
County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Joash Oloo, emphasized the significant quantities of food lost both on farms and at the household level, which deprives farmers of income and households of sustenance. The action plan proposes circular economy initiatives, improved transportation, better storage, and post-harvest management to mitigate these losses.
More than 74 percent of Homa Bay’s population rely on agriculture, and the action plan highlights losses in key value chains such as fisheries, poultry, cereals, vegetables, and fruits. These losses impact food availability and income, weakening the county’s food system resilience. The plan aims to strengthen food and nutrition security through a coordinated framework.
WRI Africa Food Programme Director, Robert Mbeche, pointed out that reducing food losses is crucial due to the significant resources consumed during food production. He stated that losing a substantial amount of food equates to wasting the resources used to produce it. Mbeche urged ongoing cooperation with Homa Bay County and called for support from other partners.
Busara’s Juhi Jain emphasized the importance of understanding behaviors within the food system to address food loss. She highlighted the need for policies to consider the realities faced by farmers, traders, and consumers, and stressed that interventions should not be imposed externally but should originate from within communities.
Deputy County Governor Danish Onyango noted that Homa Bay is the second county in Kenya to initiate such a plan, linking it to the constitutional goal of eradicating hunger. He underscored the importance of reducing farm and household waste to increase food availability. The county’s plan includes interventions like cold storage, value addition, and circular economy approaches to enhance agricultural produce value.
