Mkulima today we have the privilege of getting tips from the best in the industry.Tips by agriculture CAS Annie Nyagah on food preservation and hacks. During this COVID 19 pandemic, many families and individuals have struggled with how to keep their fresh produce fresh.

During the early days, there was a lot of losses because everyone stocked up and stuffed into the fridge.

But remember the fridge is not always the best place to store some or all fresh produce.

This is because after a period of time even the freshest of the bunch can go bad.

To do

  • Discard wilted, discoloured or blemished leaves
  • Wash the vegetables with clean, cool running water to remove dirt and any other contaminants
  • Allow water to run out
  • Wrap in paper towel or  non-woven carrier bag and put in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag and in your fridge or cooling container
  • The fresh vegetables can be stored for a period of two weeks

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About the Cabinet Administrative Secretary

Tips by agriculture CAS Annie Nyagah on food preservation and hacks. Annie Nyagah is The Chief Administrative Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock Fisheries and Cooperatives in the Government of Kenya.

She was previously the County Minister for Agriculture in the County Government of Embu, Chief Executive Officer of the 4-H Kenya Foundation and founder and Chief Executiver Officer of Farm2Home Ltd.

 She is a talented fundraiser, innovator and mentor.

Ms. Nyaga holds a Bachelor of Science, Biomedical Science and Technology degree from Egerton University.

She also has various certifications in leadership and agriculture management.

A proven organizational leader, she has a keen interest in Youth and Gender mainstreaming and the role of agriculture in youth empowerment.

Passionate about a food secure Africa, Ms. Nyaga has worked in her official and personal capacities with various the Government of Kenya, private sector, international, bilateral, multilateral donor organizations and non-state organizations on several agriculture policy initiatives.

Support

She has been a member of various committees and taskforces:

  • National Youth in Agribusiness Strategy Development and Implementation Committee;
  • National Thematic Working Group on Youth in Agriculture;
  • National Coordination Team on Global Open Data on Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN);
  • the Miraa Taskforce Implementation Committee;
  • National Task Force for Development of Agricultural Sector Youth Policy.

An agripreneur with a rich background as

  • a farmer,
  • aggregator,
  • transporter and
  • an expert on the watermelon value-chain,

she is renowned as one of the pioneers of the Kenyan youth agrarian revolution.

She has spearheaded the revival of school-based agricultural clubs popularly known as 4-K and Young Farmers clubs.

In 2019, she was invited as key note speaker to the IFAD Governing Council Conference in Rome.

There she went to articulate, on behalf of the global youth movement, the urgent need for the agency, its member states and development partners to re-engineer its policies and global programmes to more effectively address the bottlenecks and barriers for youth entry into the agriculture careers.

The Chief Administrative Secretary considers her legacy to be successfully re-framing agriculture as an industry of first choice for young Kenyans.

She is currently working on policies and programmes to promote their recruitment, engagement and retention in the sector in line with the Big 4 Agenda and Vision 2030 objective of transforming Kenya into a middle-income economy and the Sustainable Development Gola no. 2 envisioning a zero Hunger Kenya by 2030.

Tips from the Cabinet Secretary

Households can maintain healthy eating during COVID 19 pandemic by ensuring the constant availability of nutritious foods.

This can be achieved by prolonging the shelf life of perishable foods.

You can achieve this by maintaining social distancing by reducing frequent market visits to stock your pantry.

Reducing visits to the fresh produce market or supermakets can ensure your house hold is protected from the corona virus.

Freshness

Fresh green leafy vegetables and fruits start to lose their quality immediately after harvest.

Most fruits as long as they leave the farm they become damaged, wilted and eventually rotten due to enzymes within fruits and vegetables.

Also exposure to micro-organisms, environmental factors such as temperature, moisture and sunlight greatly affecet the quality of the final produce when it hits your plate.

Storing fresh vegetables and fruits in cool conditions allows them to stay in good condition for a longer period.

Preserving foods also avoids food loss and saves money spent on food.

Stay tuned for more food preservation hacks for a healthier future.

Credits: CAS Ministry of Agriculture Annie Nyagah here

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