When I traveled to the United States from my family’s farm in Kenya two years ago, I saw firsthand how agricultural science and engineering can help feed the world””and now I’m hoping that a free-trade deal between our two countries will introduce innovative technologies to Kenya so that we can do a better job of feeding ourselves.
Ib, daim ntawv cog lus luam dawb U.S.-Kenya muaj ib cov tseem. This follows Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta’s meeting last month at the White House with U.S. President Trump. Nyob rau lub ob hlis ntuj 6, President Trump teb tshaj tawm nws lub tswv yim mus pib pauv hais lus nrog Kenya. Thaum twg ib tug reporter nug nws tias nws intends yuav kos npe rau daim ntawm pom zoo, cov tuaj. Tsoom txoov nrog ib lo lus teb: “Tej zaum.”
Ib daim ntawv cog lus tsis pub luam ntawm cov teb chaws uas ob tug ua rau kev txiav txim zoo vim nws yuav lig los ob leeg tiag. Two-way luam los yog twb txog $1 nphom ib xyoos twg.
Kuv yog hopeful ib luam daim ntawv pom zoo yuav tsom rua plugging hauv complementary sib nrauj ntau lawm cov qoob loo rau ob lub teb chaws, incorporating lub teb chaws uas ob tug’ ntau lawm nws nyuas thiab kev nyab xeeb ntsuam rau cov zaub ntsuab. Kuv yuav zoo siab saib exports ntawm cov qoob loo nyiaj xws li tshuaj yej, horticultural, kas fes, thiab cov txuj lom ntawm lwm yam cim npas tias Kenya enhanced. Pauj, lub teb chaws USA yuav export cov qoob loo xws li cov kua, beet qab zib, thiab lwm yam. uas yog tsis muaj noob nyob Kenya.
Kuv txiv pib ua liaj ua teb peb nyob rau thaj Kenya, nyob ze lub nroog Eldoret, nyob rau hauv 1998. Hnub no nyob txog 400 hectares, Peb cog qoob loo plaub lub ntsiab: pobkws, nplej, barley, thiab canola. Peb kuj tsa lub caij luv cov qoob loo xws li cov paj noob hlis uas yuav tsum tau tsawg dua dej nag, ua npog cov qoob loo.
Txhua yam peb tuaj yog lub zos noj no nyob rau hauv Kenya. Peb pobkws thiab nplej mus rau peb lub zeb, qhov twg peb ntaub ntawv cia rau hauv cov khoom uas siv thaum kawg peb muag ncaj qha rau cov neeg muas zaub Kenyan. We export nothing because Kenya can’t grow enough of these crops for itself.
We just aren’t efficient enough. Raws li SARD-SC, ib Nigeria raws li pawg uas txhawb txoj kev loj hlob agricultural, smallholder teb rau Kenya dab tsi rau 80 percent of our country’s wheat acreage but only supply about 20 percent of Kenya’s demand.
Mus ntxiv kom, Kenya txog imports 2 lab tons metric hnav ib lub xyoos. Lub teb chaws As Mes Lis Kas nyiaj rau yog ib ib feem ntawm tus nqi: hais txog 100,000 metric tons ib xyoos twg, raws li Agri-Pulse.
Cov American feem yuav loj hlob sai sai yog hais tias ib tug dawb-luam daim ntawv pom zoo yuav txog los eliminates tariff 10 feem pua ntawm cov tuaj. qoob loo. Lub hom phiaj rau U.S lwm. luam diplomats yuav mus khob nram tariff 35-feem pua ntawm cov nplej.
Ntawm kuv tus standpoint yog ib tug neeg ua teb Kenyan, ib deal yuav qhia tshiab lub caij rau kuv los yeej zoo siab zoo siv cov khoom niaj hnub thiab siab heev yees uas yuav ua rau peb ntau. Nyob rau peb ua liaj ua teb, Piv txwv, peb siv tractors John Deere, uas peb yuav ncaj qha los ntawm tus niam niaj hnub nyob hauv lub teb chaws As Mes Lis Kas. Peb kuj source coob ntawm peb cov khoom tiv thaiv cov qoob loo ntawm cov tuaj. tuam txhab uas muag. Tus zoo txaus rau khoom, cov kev pab thiab cov xwm txheej ntawm peb lub teb chaws yuav pab ntxiv ntawm cov cuab yeej zoo coj mus Kenya.
I’m especially hopeful that Kenyan farmers will gain better access to GM technologies.
Txog kawg ib xyoo caum, Kenyan teb tau hu rau peb tsoom fwv pom zoo tus cog ntawm cov qoob loo GM. Nyuam qhuav tsis ntev los no, Nairobi has permitted the commercialization of Bt cotton””a welcome if long overdue development.
Cov kauj ruam tom ntej yuav GM noj cov qoob loo. They can’t arrive soon enough. Tsaib no, raws li tus Kenya Agricultural thiab tej kev tshawb fawb Organization, teb lawm xwb 35 lab hnab pobkws thaum lawv muaj tej zaum tus rau 60 lab lub hnab.
Yog koj Kenya aims rau boost nws cov yields thiab caum cuag txoj kev noj, we’ll need to adopt a wide range of technologies, ntawm Bt pob kws uas nres American tam sim no siv rau cov kev tso rau tus cutting-edge nrhav kev editing noob, uas tuav kom ua tau cov zaub mov npaum-qhov kev kawm xws li gluten tsis pub nplej.
Thaum twg kuv muaj lub sijhawm los tour ib large-scale tsev neeg ua liaj ua teb nyob rau hauv Illinois ob xyoos dhau los, Kuv pom tej zaum amazing GM tshuab firsthand. Hnub no, I’m hoping that a U.S.-Kenya Free Trade Agreement will finally increase the opportunity for me to bring these technologies to my home.