The high social and environmental costs of food in Kenya detailed in new research
The mention of food costs brings to mind the prices consumers pay, along with expenses producers have for seeds, labor, transport, and others. However, the true cost of food extends beyond these visible factors, encompassing deeper, often overlooked costs.
IFPRI’s Research on True Cost of Food in Kenya
In a recent study, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) sought to account for the true cost of food in Kenya, focusing on Kisumu, Kajiado, and Vihiga counties, where the CGIAR Initiative on Nature-Positive Solutions is being implemented. A similar study was conducted in Vietnam.
The research employed the True Cost Accounting (TCA) methodology. TCA is the systematic measurement and valuation of environmental, social, health, and economic costs to inform sustainable choices by governments and food system stakeholders. This method delves deeper into costs that are often ignored yet critically important. Its approach is grounded in The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) Agri-food Evaluation framework, which accounts for externalities generated in the use of natural, human, and social capital.