FOOD INSECURITY
Kenya is currently home to over 50 million people. The IPC estimates that 2.1 million people in Kenya's northern region, or 14% of the region's population, are in crisis. In addition to the suffering in rural Kenya, the country's urban population is increasingly facing food insecurity.
WE FACE SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES
Rapid urbanization
27% of Kenya's population live in urban areas
Urban slum areas around Nairobi among the largest in Africa
Lack of safe water, no electricity or sanitation, inadequate waste disposal
Little available land or space for cultivation
Hunger and malnutrition
High unemployment
Food shortages and high food prices
Crime, prostitution and drug addiction
KEY DRIVERS OF FOOD INSECURITY
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Helping Hands Farm Initiative's Flying Garden Project addresses key issues that drive food insecurity:
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urbanization
the lack of space for cultivation
reliance on seasonal rainfall
seasonal food shortages
increases in food prices​
climate change
conflict
the COVID-19 pandemic
FOOD INSECURITY IN URBAN KENYA
Kenya's growing population and high rate of urbanization have resulted in an urban population of over 15 million, two-thirds of whom are increasingly dealing with poverty and food insecurity.
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97% of the food consumed by urban households is purchased in the marketplace, leaving households subject to market price fluctuations determined by the supply of food produced in rural areas as well as rising global commodity prices.
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The urban poor are increasingly vulnerable, given that most have no consistent source of income. 70% of Kenya's city dwellers live in slums. Of these, around 18% have jobs, while 67% are unemployed or day workers. The urban poor spend close to 70% of their income on food, and often resort to skipping meals in order to pay rent.
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The government of Kenya has revealed that over 25% of urban children in the country are stunted. Data shows that 80% of high density urban households do not have access to enough nutritious food.