Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Kenya faces crop failure, warns FAO

AllAfrica.com, via Business Daily (Nairobi): The erratic weather patterns in Kenya has pushed the country to the list of countries likely to face crop failure. In a report released last week, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) called for close monitoring of the crop situation in Kenya and eight other countries where prospects point to a shortfall in production of crops as a result of a reduction of the area planted, adverse weather conditions, pests, diseases and other calamities.

Ethiopia, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan from Africa; Asia's Afghanistan, India, Republic of Moldova and Argentina in Latin America and the Caribbean are ranked among the other countries that are likely to produce less, the Crop Prospects and Food Situation report stated.

The data generated by the new Global Information and Early Warning Service tool by the agency earlier in the year showed that poor weather has inhibited crop production in the country, adding to the reduced production a year after the post-poll crisis.

In Kenya, the report said: "Insufficient rainfall during the initial stage of the main cropping season (March-April) is likely to have impeded crop growth, increasing the probability of yet another poor harvest."…

A coffee plantation in Kenya, 1936

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