How guaranteeing to Kenyan food to be good, clean and fair? Kicking off the Winter School on Agri-food choices in Kenya

(Baraka Agricultural College - Molo, Kenya, 21 Juanuary 2020- Marta P.) "When it comes to the relevance of feeding and food habits, Kenyans are more open and aware, especially because of the impact of quality and clean food on their own health. Cancer, consequence of the fertilizers and agro-toxics heavy introduction in the last decades, is a great reason for the people to change habits and get back to a more traditional, small-scale and clean production. So, initiatives as ours (*Slow Food Kenya) are very much welcomed by the local communities", affirms Mr John Kariuki, coordinator of Slow Food Kenya, in the opening session of the the first "Winter School in Agri-Food choices: from field to plate, for the planet: building a better food system", taking place from the 19th to the 29th January 2020 in Nakuru County - Kenya.
Kenya, a country with a population of about 47 million people, of which 70% relies on agricultural, still faces big challenges in guaranteeing it's own food security and sovereignty, while avoiding the huge food waste and losses. The effects of climate change are impacting a lot the production, nonetheless one of the biggest problems remains the pharmaceutical international companies activity in the country. Seeds hybridization, breeds hybridization, fertilizers distribution are some of the consequences of pharmaceutical activity causing soil exploitation, contamination, impoverishment and deseases for both the environment and the population. Together with other issues as a scarce enforcement of laws, the pressure exerted by EU and WTO agreements over the national policies and politics, the lack of a real distribution system as well as elaboration of row products, is a scenario that does not help the country to face the agricultural and alimentary shocks that affect it.
But how would it be possible to overcome these obstacles and guaranteeing Kenyan food to be good, clean and fair, as in the Slow Food's vision? It is not an easy answer, and it will be extensively analyzed and discussed by a group of international students of the Winter School attending from Kenya, Italy and Germany, gathered to study real cases. Hosted at Baraka Agricultural College, under the coordination of both Slow Food Kenya and Slow Food Youth Network-  SFYN, with the academic support of University Bicocca of Milan, they will go through a 10 days learning program, including lectures, sites' visits to some of the slow food presidia of the county and practical exercises to better internalise the concepts and look for potential solutions to the current Kenyan agricultural challenges.
On the opening session, held on Monday 20th January 2020, after the official welcoming from the institution's representatives, Miss Valentina Gritti, coordinator for the Global South of the international department, at SFYN and Mr John Kariuki, coordinator of Slow Food Kenya, briefed the participants on the history of this network and their current activities at both local and international level. The international organisation, born in Italy and with branches all over the world, promotes programs and projects enacting a vision contrasting the fast food model in very comprehensive way. From educational actions to policy advising, from project to advocacy campaigns and festival, the network has a strong commitment to its mission of sustainable agriculture and food production for both producers and consumers. After a short round of table for lecturers and students, introducing themselves, few words were added as well by Professor  Michele Fontefrancesco on University of Gastronomic Sciences, unique in its kind and based in Bra, Italy, strictly linked to SF.
After the organic lunch, served in the premises of the peculiar campus hosting the group and home to around 150 Eastern African students, the first day activity followed with an in depth presentation of concrete research projects by
Mr Dauro Zocchi. He is a PhD candidate at the University of Gastronomic Sciences, with an extensive background conducting researches in Latin America and African continents on the biocultural diversity. His presentation highlighted relevant perspectives on the application of an exogenous model into different contexts, like it happened with Slow food model in Kenya or other contexts, currently at the core of his studies. He introduced very interesting concepts highlighting the relevance of factors as social and cultural and their linkage with gastronomy. The multidisciplinary character of "food studies" will therefore be the base for the upcoming days' clasess and permitting the participants to conduct their group work.
Reflecting on the adaptation of the international network's activity with its initiatives, like Slow Food markets and the creation of projects protecting local species, and possible future activities will be eventually part of the winter school which promises a fruitful work for its participants.