The Role of Indigenous Knowledge of Dietary Foods in Enhancing Food Security in Kenya

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.