In 2019, the Government of Kenya developed and deployed the 10-year Agricultural Sector Growth and Transformation Strategy (ASTGS), and these are the extracts from the executive summary;
Agricultural transformation is a decades-long process which involves modernization of on farm production, shifting production towards more value addition. Agricultural transformation is critical to growing the economy, reducing the cost of food, alleviating poverty and therefore delivering 100% food and nutrition security. Apart from Singapore and Hong Kong, no country has achieved upper middle-income status without transforming its agricultural sector. Kenya is no exception. Millions of citizens depend on agriculture for income and food security, and the country’s economic growth therefore depends on enabling these people to achieve food security and contribute more fully to the economy.
Kenya has taken big strides over the years to build its macro-economic foundations for agricultural transformation: ~33% of total GDP, ~60% of informal employment and ~60% of exports come from the agricultural sector, with the largest contribution coming from crops production. Transforming the agriculture sector will cement these foundations for economic growth by providing the tools to combat price volatility, improving the environment for private investment, and developing more strategic approaches to lower the country’s dependence on food imports.
To transform Kenya’s agricultural sector and make it a regional powerhouse, the Government has formulated the Agricultural Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy (ASTGS).
The strategy is anchored in the belief that food security requires a vibrant, commercial and modern agricultural sector that sustainably supports Kenya’s economic development, national priorities, and commitments to the Malabo Declaration under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Building on lessons learned from prior strategies, ASTGS takes an evidence-based approach, as well as a sharp focus on implementation and delivery with the counties at the centre.
This approach is the basis for addressing the effects of climate change and the challenges that constrain agricultural output, productivity and natural resource management in Kenya today. Sustaining this evidence-based foundation will require data for rigorous performance management today, as well as the research and innovation to propel decision making and technologies that the transformation will require for the future.
The agricultural sector is the backbone of the economy with a great potential for growth and transformation. It contributes about 33% of total Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The sector contributes an additional 27% to GDP through linkages to other sectors such as manufacturing, distribution and services. The sector employs more than 40% of the total population and about 70% of the rural population.
Source: KILIMO
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