Strengthening food security assessments in Kenya through implementation
of a National Crop Monitor System
Abstract
Monitoring in season crop conditions is critical when assessing the food
security situation and prompting action to mitigate adverse outcomes in
largely rain-fed agricultural systems. The Group of Earth Observation
for Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM) has been supporting global
assessments for partners in the Agricultural market information system
(AMIS) and in countries that are at risk of food insecurity with the
Crop Monitor for AMIS and Crop Monitor for Early Warning respectively.
Africa, and specifically Kenya is dependent on rain-fed agricultural
production and with climate variability and change, timely, relevant and
accurate information on crop conditions is necessary to ensure
appropriate and sometimes lifesaving responses. By implementation of
national crop monitors countries can synthesize and customize
information to suit their reporting metrics and provide detailed
sub-regional assessments in a standardized format that can inform global
and regional assessments. Successful implementation and publication of
The Kenya Crop Monitor Bulletin by the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture
and Irrigation is already influencing agricultural decision making. The
bulletin is being used to inform internal decision making in the
ministry; and through dissemination on the ministry’s website, as an
important source of information for food security agencies. The report
which combines earth observation data and field reports from county
officers, is improving the way food security decisions are being made.
Specifically, monitoring the spread of diseases and pests such as the
Fall Army Worm, assessing the implications of extreme events such as
floods and droughts on production, providing expected trends based on
the prevailing conditions and the expected yield outlook at the end of
the season. Through the bulletin, the government has also been able to
assess the impact of subsidies on production and as an early warning
report to prompt for mitigation and other responses.