Food Security Framework | Key Population Groups

The map below shows the main livelihood zones in Kenya. Key population groups that suffer recurrent food insecurity are situated across several livelihood groups that include:

• Pastoralists in the north, northeast, northwest, and the southern Maasai rangelands.
• Destitute pastoralists who have dropped out of the pastoral economy after losing livestock to droughts, floods, and conflict, located close to ?urban? centers near their respective traditional grazing areas.
• Agropastoralists in the south and northwest.
• Marginal agricultural households in the coastal and southeastern lowlands.
• Marginal agricultural and fishing households situated around the lakeshore.
• Urban poor in most of the major towns.
• Households displaced during the post-election chaos in late 2007 and early 2008.  A significant number are still in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.  In addition, many that have returned to original homes or re-settled elsewhere are unlikely to regain their pre-election productive capacities in the near to medium term.

The periodic nature of food insecurity for pastoralists, agropastoralists, and marginal agricultural farm households is driven by seasonality, the most critical period being between August-November. However, food insecurity often extends beyond that period, in the midst of droughts, floods, and conflict. The periodicity of food insecurity for destitute pastoralists who have settled in ?urban? centers and the urban poor in major town centers depends on the business cycle of the centers and is less related to seasonality.