%K Citizen science, food system transformation, food justice, food democracy
%A Ndungu S Nyokabi
%A Lisette Phelan
%A Henrietta L Moore
%X This study explores how agricultural sector transformation aimed at increasing productivity and
improving farmers’ livelihoods and realised through the commercialisation of smallholder agricultural
production systems has impacted environmental sustainability, household dietary diversity and food
(in)security in the seven counties in the Mau-Cherangany complex in Kenya. Farmers were selected
through convenience and purposive sampling by a team of Prosperity Co-learning Laboratory
(PROCOL-Africa) network citizen scientists. Data was collected through key informant interviews
conducted with 85 farmers. Additionally, data was collected through participatory photography and
mapping exercises involving 45 farmers.
Cash crops such as avocado, maize, tea and coffee are increasingly being produced in Kenya. The
agricultural commercialisation that has driven this land use change has accelerated biodiversity loss.
The use of herbicides to control weeds has led to the loss of native flora and fauna. It has also reduced
access to nutritious indigenous vegetables, leading to a reliance on the consumption of purchased
foods from the market, and negatively impacted household food security. Holistic approaches to
realising food system transformation are required to ensure that the commercialisation of smallholder
agricultural production systems is not pursued at the expense of environmental sustainability,
socioeconomic inclusion, and rural households’ food and nutritional security.
%B Proceedings of IFSA 2024. Theme 4: Rethinking and reconfiguring food production and consumption
%C Trapani, Italy
%L discovery10198155
%I IFSA
%D 2024
%O This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
%T Smallholder farming agricultural transformation: implications for environmental sustainability,
household dietary diversity and food (in)security