Abstract:
Indigenous foods are associated with local people’s cultures. They are diverse, comprising crops and
domesticated animals or from wild habitats and are a good source of nutrients. However, diverse factors
impede their production and use. Kenya’s population was 47,564,300 people in November 2019. They
face food insecurity due to climate change and abandonment of traditional methods of conserving food
species and habitats. This exploratory study investigated the role of indigenous knowledge of dietary foods
in enhancing food security in Kenya towards achieving agendas 1 and 2 of the sustainable development
goals. The objectives were to establish the role of indigenous knowledge in identifying and using these
foods, examine factors which impede the use of indigenous foods in Kenya, and make recommendations
for their value addition. Thirty female participants aged 60 and above were purposefully selected based on
their association with indigenous foods from production, gathering, processing, preservation and storage
at their households and consumption. Data was collected through interviews with 28 respondents through
snowballing and literature reviews. Data was thematically analysed and integrated with findings from
the literature review. The findings indicate that indigenous knowledge of indigenous foods was acquired
from mothers, grandmothers, and relatives, as well as individual experiences of eating indigenous foods
at home over time. It was used in the identification and selection of indigenous foods by communities to
enhance food security, and the use of indigenous foods enhances food security in Kenya towards achieving
agendas 1 and 2 of the sustainable development goals.
