Farm produce in a market.

Increasing food production alone will not guarantee food security, Agriculture Principal Secretary Paul Rono has said.

The PS said governments would also need to address soil health, access to quality seeds and farm inputs, water availability and the nutritional value of food consumed by households.

Speaking at the 17th Africa Day of Food and Nutrition Security, the PS said African countries needed to adopt a comprehensive approach to food systems by bringing together farmers, agro-processors, the private sector, development partners, financiers and government agencies.

“We cannot achieve food security without water, especially when you talk about climate change,” he said, adding that the government was shifting its focus from rain-fed to irrigated agriculture.

The two-day meeting is also examining how African countries can move beyond producing enough food to ensuring that people have access to nutritious and healthy diets.

Rono said many households spent a significant proportion of their food budgets on starchy foods such as maize, rice and wheat, while allocating a smaller share to nutritious foods.

He said this imbalance was contributing to nutrition challenges, particularly among children and other vulnerable populations.

Rono said more than 310 million people in Africa were facing hunger, highlighting the need to address food insecurity alongside malnutrition.

According to Dr Ildephonse Musafiri, Special Adviser to the CEO of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), the continent needed to move from repeated commitments and discussions to coordinated action that delivered measurable results.

He said the Kampala Declaration, adopted in January 2025 under Africa's Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, placed food and nutrition security at the centre of the continent's agricultural transformation agenda for the next decade.

The declaration sets targets that include increasing agricultural production by 45 per cent, reducing stunting and wasting by 30 per cent, cutting post-harvest losses by 50 per cent and ensuring that 60 per cent of Africans are food secure.

“Achieving these targets will require governments and development partners to work together rather than pursue disconnected programmes,” he said.

Agriculture, water, health and education departments often address food security separately, despite their interconnected roles in ensuring that households have access to sufficient nutritious food.

Rono said Kenya had attempted to address this challenge through the proposed Feed and Food Coordination Act, which is intended to improve collaboration among the different actors.

However, he noted that achieving effective coordination remained difficult.

He also highlighted the importance of political leadership in implementing food security programmes, citing government initiatives such as subsidised fertiliser, farmer registration and soil testing.

Musafiri said water management was another critical component of food and nutrition security, noting that water was needed not only for agricultural production but also for food preparation and hygiene.

He urged young people to take advantage of opportunities across agricultural value chains, including tractor hire services, seed and fertiliser businesses, production, processing, transport and logistics.

Musafiri also urged governments to ensure that young people and women were included in agricultural policies and programmes. He encouraged the youth to participate actively in initiatives designed to transform the sector.

The meeting is expected to explore strategies for improving soil health, expanding access to appropriate agricultural technologies, strengthening market linkages and implementing policy reforms to support farmers.

The discussions come amid continued concerns over hunger and malnutrition across Africa, with participants calling for stronger coordination to ensure that commitments translate into improved food access, healthier diets and more resilient food systems.