What does the global economy crystal ball show about the year ahead in Kenya’s agricultural sector? Is it promising? Do the results depend on natural or artificial forces? Most importantly, what can be done to bring value addition to the agricultural sector, which is the cornerstone of Kenya’s economy?
Political Goodwill
The agricultural sector has enjoyed political goodwill from all of Kenya’s post-independence governments, affirmation from the Brenton Woods institutions of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, support from development partners and international donors. It’s therefore easy to declare victory on behalf of the agricultural sector and rest in the laurels of such strong backing. Yet history teaches that the world changes very fast, sometimes toward progress and sometimes in regression.
Food security is a basic need for the survival and prosperity of any society. But there are factors that contribute to low yield and scarcity in the sector and can possible plunge the country to crisis if not adequately addressed. We discuss strategies that can lead to productivity for Kenya’s farmers in 2025 and that the crop cycle may be deliberate in the goals to scale up. Strategies that tap into the abundance of available resources in 2025 to make the agricultural sector in Kenya a shining city in the hill in the region and the continent of Africa at large.
Stakeholders in the sector can help boost agricultural productivity and shape the future of farming by playing their role in the implementation of the suggested strategies.
Embracing Modern Agricultural Technologies
Outdated systems, practices, and resources can longer be depended on in the journey to the future of farming. The scriptures say you cannot pour old wine into new wineskin. Neither can a farmer prepare for the future by using old methods.
Farmers of different sizes, demographics, and communities can boost their yields through the adoption of modern technologies. Precision agriculture techniques are an approach to crop management that use technology to optimize crop production. They involve the use of a range of tools such as drones, GPS, remote sensing, and other advanced gadgets and equipment and they reduce production costs while ensuring efficiency in farming.
An example of precision agriculture is used by tea growers in Nyamira County, who since 2022 are increasingly embracing the use of drones for commercial purposes to improve their crop management. They use drones for crop mapping, soil analysis, fertilizer application, irrigation, troubleshooting, and pest management. The technique has increased the yields and reduced waste.
Enhancing Soil Health
Poor soil health threatens to reduce productivity, increase food prices, and weaken climate resilience in the land. The key to food security and safeguarding the livelihood of the communities lies in urgently address soil degradation where it occurs.
The crisis in our soil health involves the reported findings that 33pc of Kenya’s soils are unhealthy. This is due to factors such as: erosion, nutrient depletion, and poor land resource management. Another finding states that Kenya loses over 5,000 hectares of arable land annually leading to reduced agricultural output that threatens food security. Poor soil health leads farmers to an over-reliance on costly chemical fertilizers and leads to more soil degradation. Another crisis affecting soil health is climate change. This makes soil less capable of retaining moisture and leaves crops vulnerable to extreme weather conditions.
Soil conservation techniques are therefore paramount to safeguarding soil health. Several suggestions to boost yields while conserving the soil’s health are such as:
- Mulching, used to reduce water evaporation and improve soil structure;
- The use of cover crops, composting to improve soil structure, crop rotation by planting drought-resistant crops like sorghum and cassava, minimal tillage by reducing soil disturbance
- Reducing soil erosion can also rejuvenate soil health.
- Capacity building of farmers on soil management can lead to better crop yields and productivity.
Water Management
Water scarcity in several regions are countered using innovative and climate smart water management methods such as drip irrigation systems, rainwater harvesting and constructing small-scale dams. Organizations like the Food and Agriculture Organization aim to conduct trainings on effective farming techniques in arid and semi- arid areas. The challenges of water scarcity to the Kenyan farmers can be tackled by ensuring that communities have information and organizational support of such methods in order to make farming possible even in arid regions.
Crops Diversification
Farmers can reduce the risk of crop failure due to a lack of soil nutrients, vulnerability to pests, diseases, and adverse weather conditions. Diversification includes growing a variety of crops and can help increases the farmer’s productivity, increase the market for other produce and value addition of crops such as sunflowers, groundnuts, millet and others that can fetch higher revenues and contribute to the overall export earnings of the country.
Agricultural Extension Services
Access to information and knowledge bases can boost agricultural productivity for large and smallholder farmers in the community. Agricultural extension services have been key to educating farmers about best practices, latest technologies, and market news and analyses. Agriculture extension offices have been set up by county and national government departments to provide information and support to assist farming communities to adopt to new techniques and improve their overall productivity.
Scaling Market Access
Farm produce in Kenya need access to markets for sustainability and to boost productivity. The main struggle for farmers is often how to get their produce from farm to market and possible from farm to table. Contrary to which will often result in unaffordable post-harvest losses and affected incomes. Market access can be boosted by support from both the government and private sector stakeholders. This can be through developing better transport infrastructure, establishing produce collection centers, and strengthening the supply chains that ease the farm to market process. Today, the use of digital platforms like Farmers Market Kenya and OLX Kenya has helped connect farmers with consumers much faster and increased opportunities for smallholder farmers and communities.
Community Groups Engagement
Support for community groups such as smallholder farmers, women, and youth has been effective in boosting Kenya’s agricultural productivity. Initiatives such as access to credit, subsidies for inputs like the 2022 subsidized fertilizer program offered by the State Department of Agriculture, and conducting capacity building events and training sessions have helped to boost productivity. The government, NGOs and other stakeholders need to continue getting involved in resource allocation that create an enabling environment for farming communities to thrive.
The youth should also be encouraged to participate in farming and sold to the future prospects of the profession. Initiatives such as Agri-Jobs4Youth have been started in partnership between the German Agency of International Cooperation and the national and county government of Kenya. Other opportunities such as: training programs, startups support, and access to funding and low interest loans, access to land and other resources, and information are essential to engage more youth into the profession. The benefits of youth involvement include the fresh ideas, energy, and resilience they bring to the sector. This will ensure that they are learning, earning a decent living and capable of starting and taking care of their families.
Effective Policies and Good Governance
Agricultural productivity and success rely on governmental resources and support. The government is constitutionally-mandated to ensure food security for Kenyans by supporting the agricultural sector through effective policy review and implementation. Some ways that governance can boost the sector include: tax incentives on agribusiness ventures; subsidies on farm inputs, such as ecofriendly and modern equipment; and investment in research organizations like Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, KARI. Good governance will ensure efficiency in resource allocation and support for farmers on what they need to boost productivity.
The year ahead looks bright for Kenya’s farming community. A lot of collaboration and good leadership is needed to ensure strong systems and better results. The adoption of innovation and access to information can boost productivity and support large scale and smallholder farmers. Stakeholders can ensure agricultural productivity is growing and vibrant with the right policies and support which will ensure job creation and food security in this grand march to the future.
