Fertile Deception
The Deep Dive 47th Edition
Welcome to a special edition of The Deep Dive!
We bring your attention to a critical issue that is threatening food security in Kenya: the distribution of fake fertilisers to farmers.
The Africa Uncensored documentary, Fertile Deception (click the banner below to watch it if you haven’t already), is an eye-opener to the problem of fake fertilisers. With a score of 22.0, indicating serious hunger, Kenya ranks 90th out of 125 countries on the 2023 Global Hunger Index. Such a ranking is alarming, and the country’s over-reliance on food imports is unsustainable. Moreover, Kenya’s food insecurity rate has increased from 15% to 28%, a worrying trend that needs urgent attention.
The farmers need healthy soil to ensure healthy crop yields, but fake fertilisers are causing low yields, which, in turn, increases our dependency on food imports. It's high time we support our local farmers with high-quality fertilisers and invest in research and development to improve farming techniques. By doing so, we'll reduce our dependency on food imports, improve our food security, and create a sustainable future for our country. We must ask ourselves, what will happen if we don't protect our farmers in an agriculture-dependent country like Kenya? The answer is clear - the situation will worsen, and we'll be facing an even more severe food crisis.
Cynthia Gichiri (the reporter and producer of Fertile Deception)
‘Fertile Deception’ is a thought-provoking documentary that exposes the dark side of fertilizer distribution in Kenya. This two-year-long investigation delves into a specific product that was excavated, packaged, branded, and sold to unsuspecting farmers through NCPB stores across the country under the guise of organic fertilizer.
Through secret filming, laboratory tests, and experts' analyses, the documentary raises questions about whether there was a sinister plan to dupe farmers through the program. The production of Fertile Deception brings to light some of the harsh realities faced by farmers who encounter substandard farm inputs such as fertilizer. Due to lack of necessary technical support and extension services at the grassroots level, many have fallen prey to unscrupulous businessmen whose only aim is to exploit them.
The entire team at Africa Uncensored worked tirelessly to ensure that the story was executed with the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and objectivity. The documentary sounds a cautionary note about the need to increase oversight, honesty, and responsibility among key government agencies tasked with safeguarding the welfare of farmers and Kenyans in general. The revelations in Fertile Deception raise serious questions about the government's much-hyped fertilizer subsidy program and urge the authorities to take action to prevent farmers from being deceived in the future.
This documentary is a must-watch for anyone who cares about the welfare of farmers and the future of agriculture in Kenya.
John Gathuna (the video editor of Fertile Deception)
While I was editing 'Fertile Deception', I was deeply shocked to see the undercover footage revealing the deceitful practice of packaging sand as fertiliser. It's disheartening to see farmers being exploited through such manipulative tactics, especially when these bags are sold under government subsidies. In this story, 'Bob' the whistle-blower is a hero who reminds us of our collective responsibility to maintain integrity.
One more thing…
Wondering what happened behind the scenes of the production of Fertile Deception? Well, wonder no more. In this podcast that’s exclusive to you our newsletter reader today, Cynthia reveals how the story (which also happens to be her first investigative story) came about.
Listen in!
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Cheers!