By Lorraine Anyango
Kisumu, Kakamega, and Kitui become the first counties to have a County Agri-Nutrition Implementation Strategy (CANIS).
The CANIS will be used to offer guidance on strategic interventions for decision-makers in the counties for implementation of the nutrition-sensitive Agriculture.
The main purpose of the strategy is to contribute towards the sustained reduction of high malnutrition levels through coordinated Agri- Nutrition actions.
These actions are to be carried out by state and non-state actors to empower communities to produce and consume adequate safe and nutritious foods in the three counties by focusing on the whole value chain that is production to consumption.
For the last three days, technical working groups from Kisumu and Kakamega counties have been holding up a workshop with an ambitious move to finish drafting their specific CANIS.
The officers have been customizing their CANIS drawing from the Kenya Agri-Nutrition Implementation Strategy 2020-2025.
Officers from Kisumu target to have the documented co-opted in the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) to guide resource allocation for nutrition.
Kisumu’s county starts to populate its CIDP populated from November 31st, 2022. The officers plan to soon launch their CANIS in mid-December translating into an early Christmas gift for the residents of Kisumu.
Kakamega county officers committed to having their document ready for implementation by February 2023 after taking it through the required process.
The two counties began with a review of their Zero draft CANIS then they built consensus in the process of selecting activities, outputs, targets, timelines, budgets, and co-partners as per strategic actions.
They looked into gaps in their specific documents after going through guidelines for developing the CANIS and the adaptation template. The technical officers also got an opportunity for lessons sharing in the process of CANIS development in mattes of challenges, gaps, and achievements.
The two counties assembled at Sossa Cottages Limited in Vihiga through support from Advancing Nutrition, a USAID-funded project being implemented in three counties.
Advancing Nutrition Chief of Party, Mr. Peter Milo, assured the officers of their commitment to ensuring that they not only finish their specific CANIS but that they can implement the strategy so that the change is registered.
“We are at a stage where the work that remains requires focus and even greater commitment, what is remaining will determine whether we have a document or not.” Mr. Milo said. While urging the officer to remain committed to the process.
The CANIS has six interventions that support the implementation of nutrition-sensitive programs and offer solutions to malnutrition from an agricultural perspective.
The third focus on the list is increasing the availability, access, and consumption of safe diverse foods, while the fifth has to do with community empowerment to engage in viable nutrition-sensitive initiatives.
CANIS will focus on nutrition-sensitive agriculture as a potential tool for contributing to the reduction of malnutrition.
Nutrition-sensitive agriculture is a food-based approach to agricultural development that puts nutritionally rich foods, dietary diversity, and food fortification at the heart of overcoming malnutrition and micro nutrient deficiencies.
Under it, priority is given to the production of diversified affordable, nutritious. Culturally appropriate and safe food in enough amounts and quality to meet the dietary requirement of populations sustainably.
This will be affected even in unstable conditions that may be caused by economic and political unrest, climate changes, and even pandemics.
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