The initiative, led by the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the private sector, has different goals: improving nutrition, strengthening food security, elevating incomes for smallholder farmers, boosting small and medium-sized enterprises, and preserving Kenya’s cultural heritage.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi will grace the two-day conference set for Wednesday and Thursday and themed “Indigenous foods for health and wealth.”

“The dialogue seeks to increase availability, access, affordability and consumption of safe indigenous foods for healthier diets in the country,” Robert Mwadime, the lead organizer and Chief Party of Kenya Crops and Dairy Market Systems (KCDMS) said.

The first-of-its-kind dialogue will bring together stakeholders from various sectors to tackle pressing challenges in Kenya’s food systems, fostering collaboration and innovation for sustainable and inclusive food systems.

Participants in the conference will include representatives from the private sector, government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), academia, research institutions, and community-based organizations.

The dialogue comes at a crucial time when concerns have risen regarding poor dietary habits in Kenya, leading to a significant portion of the population becoming obese.

According to the 2022 Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS), 17 percent of women and 4 percent of men are reported as obese.

Obesity is more concentrated in urban areas, with five out of ten women aged 20-49 being obese compared to three out of ten in rural areas.

Two out of ten urban men are overweight, while 14 percent of rural men fall into this category.

Mwadime attributed the rise in obesity to the preference for wheat products and maize over indigenous foods like millet, sorghum, cassava, sweet potatoes, and green grams, which are both nutritious and affordable.

“It is unfortunate that people in Kenya cannot go without ugali and yet when their prices go up it becomes a serious issue. The same people either by default or design forget that Kenya is home to other indigenous foods that are affordable. That is why we need to have a dialogue,” he said.

With the dialogue, Mwadime expressed confidence that it would raise awareness among Kenyans about the importance of prioritizing their health by making healthier dietary choices.

“We cannot be eating the same way in this country and that is why we hope this dialogue will help us change our dietary habits,” he said.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has since initiated a food systems program worth Sh7.3 billion over five years to promote the consumption of indigenous foods.

The program will provide funding to individuals to increase the production and variety of indigenous foods while developing robust marketing and linkage strategies to encourage their uptake.