Kenya is facing food shortage because of its reliance on primary products, conservatism and the politics of global warming, a researcher said on Thursday.

Prof Kihumbu Thairu, the commissioner for Higher Education, also blamed scarcity of food on poverty, low prices of farm produce, poor health and infrastructure, and high population growth rates.

"Quick solutions to food crises have led to such a high dependency that on general consensus, the people ask: Why bother to look for solutions when food aid is coming to the rescue?" he said.

He quoted a UN Food and Agriculture Organisation report that noted that despite the fact that East Africa accounted for four per cent of world population, it received 20 per cent of global food aid.

Food aid

He was speaking Thursday at a three-day research dissemination workshop at Mombasa Beach Hotel.

The meeting brought together experts, researchers and farmers to share the findings of a one-year government-funded research project on food security.

The commission's CEO, Prof Everett Standa said, the research was conducted at a cost of Sh65 million.

Universities

The funds were released in the 2006/2007 financial year, followed by another Sh71 million in 2007/2008.

The money was divided among seven public universities and four private universities. He announced that the results would be made public after the workshop.