Nairobi — About three million Kenyans depend on food aid annually, a report shows.

The study, Hungry for a Solution, says another 10 million people suffer perennial food crisis.

"An estimated 50 per cent of the population is undernourished," the ActionAid report, says.

The study, which was launched at a Nairobi hotel on Thursday, assessed achievement of the Rome Declaration on World Food Security goals.

Heads of State attending the 1996 summit pledged to take action to improve food security in the world. November marks the 10th anniversary of the declaration and the mid-term review of the World Food Summit.

Structural problems in agricultural sector

According to Action Aid, ten years ago, some 800 million people throughout the world did not have enough food.

"Ten years later, more than 852 million people suffer from hunger. It means we have made 52 million more people hungry," Angela Wauye, the food security coordinator at Action Aid said.

The report said Kenya was an example of how structural problems in the agricultural sector cause recurrent food crisis.

It said the current food insecurity is caused by change in climate, marginalisation of certain areas from mainstream development, conflicts and high levels of poverty and poor infrastructure.

At the 1996 summit, leaders pledged to halve the number of hungry people in the world by 2015. Action Aid appealed to the government to ensure there is adequate political will to fight hunger.