Kenya is positioning food security as more than a question of having enough food, linking increased domestic production to reduced imports, stronger household incomes, industrial growth and greater economic self-reliance.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki said the Government’s agricultural transformation agenda was intended to move the country from food deficit to food surplus, reduce food imports and revive exports while strengthening the incomes of farmers.
The approach places domestic agricultural production at the centre of Kenya’s broader economic transformation.
Kindiki Highlights Major Gains in Kenya’s Agriculture Sector
Four years after the Government placed agriculture at the heart of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, the sector has recorded increases in production across several value chains.
Maize production, for example, has risen from 34 million bags to 75 million bags.
Milk production has increased from 4.6 billion litres to 5.2 billion litres, while the value of dairy products has risen from KSh4.9 billion to KSh8.9 billion.
Tea earnings have increased from KSh138 billion to KSh181 billion, while meat export value has risen from KSh8.9 billion to KSh12.9 billion.
The Government argues that these gains demonstrate the potential of increasing domestic agricultural productivity while expanding opportunities for exports.
But the transformation agenda also identifies areas where Kenya remains dependent on imports.
Wheat is one of the clearest challenges.
The Deputy President said the country imports a large portion of its national wheat demand and must increase domestic production.
Rice production also remains below the desired level, he said, pointing to the need for further investment and productivity improvements.
Reducing such dependencies is being treated as part of the wider effort to strengthen food sovereignty.
Fertiliser Price Falls From KSh7,000 to KSh2,000 as Government Targets Food Security
The strategy begins with the cost of production.
Fertiliser prices have fallen from KSh7,000 per bag in 2022 to KSh2,000, while certified maize seed has been reduced from KSh300 to KSh150 per kilogram.
Lower input costs are intended to enable farmers to produce more while improving the economics of farming.
The Government is also seeking to strengthen production through research, extension services, livestock vaccination, agricultural insurance and technology.
But production alone is not considered sufficient.
The next challenge is ensuring that what Kenya produces can move efficiently through aggregation, storage, processing and markets.
Seventeen County Aggregation and Industrial Parks have been completed and are being equipped, providing infrastructure intended to support value addition and agro-processing.
The Government wants commodities such as avocado, macadamia and milk to move beyond raw production into processed products.
This is where food security intersects with industrialization.
More domestic agricultural production provides raw materials for Kenyan industries, while local processing creates opportunities for enterprises and jobs.
The same principle is being applied to fisheries, where investments in landing sites, storage, aquaculture and processing are intended to increase the value retained from Kenya’s aquatic resources.
Also Read: Step-by-Step Process of How to Register as an Agricultural Exporter in Kenya
The Government’s objective is therefore broader than producing enough food for domestic consumption.
It is to build an agricultural economy capable of feeding the country, supplying local industries, generating exports and reducing dependence on imported food.
The Deputy President said the ultimate test of the transformation would be whether Kenyan families have enough affordable food, farmers earn more, young people find jobs and enterprises in agriculture, industries access locally produced raw materials and Kenya earns more from what it produces.
That places food security firmly within the country’s economic strategy.
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