The government joined various stakeholders in bidding farewell to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Kenya Ambassador Carla Mucavi who has completed her tour of duty in the country.

Mithika Linturi, Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development thanked the outgoing ambassador, saying that FAO has been more than a collaborator and a great supporter under her leadership.

The CS who was speaking during a farewell reception for the Ambassador, notably mentioned that Kenya is a pioneer in many agricultural milestones most of which were developed and implemented through collaboration with the FAO.

‘The Kenya Integrated Agricultural Management Information System (KIAMIS) which was FAO’s brainchild has already registered over 6.5 million farmers making Kenya the first country to achieve such a success,’ Linturi said.

This, the CS added, has already attracted countries to visit Kenya on benchmarking missions.

Two weeks ago, he said, Kenya hosted a delegation from
Bangladesh, which is also in the process of implementing their farmer registration system and that the country will soon be hosting a delegation from South Africa on a similar learning mission.

Linturi further said that as the continent battles climate change, whose effect is felt more in the agricultural food systems, FAO has been and continues to be a very dependable partner.

‘Our collaborations have yielded greater adoption of climate-smart agricultural techniques and ensured improved food and nutrition security,’ he said.

He said Kenya is presently working together with the UN led by FAO and other partners on the Food Systems Transformation agenda.

‘It is also not lost to us that to strengthen resilience building, FAO under Carla’s leadership took up water infrastructure support and is already showing huge success in a number of counties,’ Linturi observed.

He named projects such as Agricultural Climate Resilience Enhancement Initiative (ACREI) implemented in Taita Taveta County and the Women Economi
c Empowerment through Climate Smart Agriculture in West Pokot, Laikipia and Kitui Counties, which have seen improved crop and livestock production, increased the incomes of farmers and built resilience.

‘Through your support we are also developing our livestock master plan, which will help give evidence-based policy and investment directions that will spur the livestock sector,’ the CS said.

All these and many other milestones, Linturi noted, have been covered through the great leadership of the outgoing FAO Kenya representative saying the examples illuminate the great collaboration that Mucavi’s leadership at FAO has yielded.

‘As you conclude your tour of duty and transition to your next duty station, please carry with you the good lessons you picked while in Kenya, the friendships you formed and cherish the moments shared during our work,’ CS Linturi said.

European Union Ambassador Henriette Geiger who spoke on behalf of development partners said that as development partners, the only way to achieve sus
tainability is to make sure that they work together to support the government in its efforts and to bring solutions together with civil society and all the stakeholders in the country.

She added that due to the challenges both structural and some linked to climate change being experienced globally such as floods, locusts and the food insecurity that we are continuously facing, people can only adapt.

‘As EU, together with other partners, we are working on the green transition. Agriculture has to adapt, otherwise we have severe problems, but also as development partners, we are trying to make agriculture stimulating again in the sense that it is attractive for young people and women by not only producing a good income, but also giving prestige.

‘The green transition, she explained, is a huge challenge and FAO is in the middle of it. ‘We need to make sure that there’s sustainable food production. With all the other things that we do in this world, without food sustainability, we have nothing,’ she said.

She
lauded the outgoing FAO representative for supporting the digital registry of land in Kenya programme saying this is a game changer for not only agriculture but the entire country.

With the digitalization, Henrietta said that she hoped that certainty and security in that field would be brought back, especially for the women who were excluded in the past.

Council of Governors CEO Mary Mwiti said the Digital Lands programme being spearheaded by FAO under the leadership of Mucavi and being implemented across the 47 counties has left an indelible mark that will never be forgotten.

‘I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Amb. Carla who has displayed the expeditions and exceptional qualities of women in leadership that have left an indelible mark on me as a person and in the devolution family. It is leaders like Ambassador Carla who inspire many other women to push boundaries, challenge stereotypes and break through the glass ceiling,’ Mwiti said.

Madam Carla Mucavi’s tenure as the FAO Kenya Represen
tative started in November 2020. Her tenure has been marked by many challenges attributable to climate change, COVID-19 pandemic which was followed by floods, the desert locust and thereafter a severe and prolonged drought, all of which negatively impacted the country’s food and nutrition security.

However, CS Linturi among other stakeholders lauded Ambassador Carla’s astute leadership, prompt interventions and resilience-building strategies that were spot on and helped the country greatly reduce the negative effects of these climate-change-induced eventualities.

Her tour of duty took 3 and a half years and her next appointment will be in Botswana.

The evening reception was also graced by Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development Alice Wahome, Homabay County Governor Gladys Wanga, representatives from various organisations, including the UN fraternity as well as development partners.

Source: Kenya News Agency