Abstract

Agricultural biodiversity is the first link in the food chain, developed and safeguarded by indigenous people throughout the world and it makes an essential contribution to feeding the world. Kenya has an estimated 35,000 known animal, plant and micro-organism species. Ancient Kenyans participated in farming, hunting and gathering to acquire a variety of foods and they also utilized insects as sources of food. Due to population growth, urbanization, deforestation, pollution and intensive agriculture based on a few crops, species that now sustain humanity are very few. Local species that are not only numerous, fulfilling a variety of needs and adapted to different conditions, but also genetically variable, are being abandoned and lost forever. Changes in agricultural biodiversity have had negative impact on dietary diversity, nutrition and health. This paper first focuses on Kenya’s ancient agricultural biodiversity, efforts by the government and other agencies to conserve it and its loss over time. The paper goes on to discuss the prevalence of food insecurity and malnutrition levels among rural households in Kenya.  Lastly, recommendations that would help enhance agricultural biodiversity and food security to improve the nutrition status of Kenyans have been given.

Key words: Agricultural biodiversity, loss, conservation, hunger, Kenya.