Kenya: Seizing The Moment – Developing A National Agricultural Sector Strategy And Investment Plan

FROM RIGHT: Agriculture Council of Kenya Chairman Dr. John Mutunga (right) and panelists take questions from participants at the National Agriculture Investment Plan formulation exercise which ran from December 7-9, 2016 in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo by AGRA

Kenya’s current annual growth in agricultural productivity stands at 4.8 percent.  This is just below Kenya’s 6 percent country target in the African Union’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) goals. A roadmap geared towards reaching the 6% target was in place previously through the Agriculture Sector Development Strategy (ASDS) 2010-2020 and National Agriculture Investment Plan (NAIP) 2012-2017. However, the strategies became obsolete when government devolution took effect in June 2013, including agriculture.

In December 2016, the Kenyan Government launched a multi-stakeholder National Agriculture and Investment Plan (NAIP) Appraisal and Formulation process to outline a roadmap to reach the country’s CAADP goal. A three-day event hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Kenya’s NAIP process was convened in collaboration with, the African Union Commission (AUC), the AUC’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency, and Alliance for a Green Revolution Africa (AGRA), with support from USAID and Feed the Future via Africa Lead. The NAIP exercise, which also includes national and local governments, public and private sector partners, development partners and donors, is part of a set of events happening across the continent in 11 countries, part of a larger effort to realize CAADP goals.

A participant gives her remarks to the panel during the National Agriculture Investment Plan formulation exercise in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo by AGRA

Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Hon. Willy Bett highlighted in a follow-up op-ed titled Kenya’s Agriculture Sector Ready for Increased Investments, expressing why the meeting was a pivotal step in following through on the commitments Kenya had made to CAADP, as well as to the continental campaign led by NEPAD, AU, AGRA and AfDB to “Seize the Moment” and drive economic growth through the agriculture sector, reduce food imports, and enhance food security across the continent.

“Why should anyone invest in Kenyan farms and local agriculture businesses?”, wrote Bett. “One answer is to be found in Kenya’s rapidly growing food retail sector. Driven by explosive demand among urban consumers, food purchases in Kenya are growing by an impressive ten percent per year and are expected to reach US $17.6 billion by 2020. In fact, demand is exceeding domestic supply and imports now account for about half of all domestic purchases of staples like rice, wheat and soybeans.”

With nearly 100 attendees, the meeting covered domestication of the new country CAADP implementation guidelines, preparations for the NAIP formulation exercise, review of relevant thematic discussions as well as validation of the country roadmap in line with the aspirations of Africa’s Agenda 2063; a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development.

From the exercise, the stakeholders developed a detailed roadmap for the development of a new sector strategy and investment plan by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock & Fisheries which Kenya county agriculture plans will align to.

Learn more about Seize the Moment at www.seizethemomentafrica.com

Delegates of the National Agriculture Investment Plan (NAIP) formulation pose for a group photo at the end of the exercise.