Prof. Keith Shepherd a soil scientist working with World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) has said for Kenya to benefit from science and technology exploits young scientist with good quantitative skills and multidisciplinary thinking should be engaged in all scientific and technological endeavors.
Shepherd who was making a presentation at the University of Nairobi, School of Engineering said the Kenyan government through its institutions of higher learning should scale up training opportunities for its young people to strengthen its scientific and technological capacity. The soil scientist called upon all university stake holders involved in curricula development to update it to be an answer to challenges facing the Kenyan people.
He challenged institutions of higher learning and other institutions responsible in dissemination of scientific and technological advancement to embrace new technologies fast enough to be at tandem with the rest of the world in responding to problems facing the nation such as food scarcity, declining forest cover, water quality and climate change.
He said land/soil health surveillance should be part of the Kenyan national policy. This will enhance the analysis of soil samples for optimum utilization of land and high crop production.
It's during this presentation that the researcher pointed out a close relationship of vegetation type and soil elements or minerals in a geographical location. However, Shepherd said this is somehow difficult in Africa and Kenya in particular from the use of artificial fertilizer. Thus we “will take time to ascertain the relationship.”
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