Esther of San Fransico & Dr. Wachira of World Bank at Diaspora Conference Lunch.

Food is anything that goes into the body to provide nutritional support, so a human being can continue living. When a conference is planned, one thing those planning have to look at is the food. Many a time the food has determined the location. On the other hand the chef has to look forward to giving a balanced diet of nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals and fats so that the body can have the energy needed to carry out its functions. The smile on the face of Esther, attending the conference from San Fransico region, said what needed to be said, “The food was great.” This was a compliment for one of the Kenyan chefs of the Marriot Hotel.

During this time as many enjoyed the food, conversations on the plight of Kenyans affected by draught were in people’s minds. Many imagined the food that would be thrown away as the question arose: “What can be done about food?“

In the 2007 Diaspora Conference in Atlanta the idea of putting food as a top agenda for the Diaspora to look into, by creating a land policy that would attract investments, was viewed as the root to success of Vision 2030. “When people wake up they do not, by necessity, have to make a phone call. However when they wake up they, before the end of the day, have to eat,” the argument was made then. No economic grow can be sustained in any economy when food is not on the table. Thanks to the organizers of Kenya Diaspora Conference for making sure the bodies were well nourished. 

The food issue is one that is based on the land policy of the country. Debaters have said the 2007/2008 was not about tribalism but food. They argue that since land is seen as the source of food, when another society comes and owns it then they are taking the food.  Kenya land policy today is defined from a settlement approach where the aim is to settle everyone. Kenya land policy should be defined from a food sustainance approach where land is seen as the engine of food production.