Shadrack Agaki
The recent launch of Agricultural Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy 2019-2029 by the Agriculture ministry depicts Kenya’s commitment to ensuring food security. Yet with rapid population growth and to enhance nutrition, the government needs to do more.
Kenya has a history of producing magnificent policy documents. For instance, Sessional Paper 10 of 1963/65, Africa Socialism is regarded as a high impact policy paper. The paper advocated transformation of rural agriculture through establishment District Development Plans and employment of extension officers. It is the reason agriculture experienced considerable growth up until 1990s.
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However, agriculture development started to slow down as liberalisation of market and structural adjustment programmes took effect. During this period, the government was required to reduce spending, prompting elimination of agricultural extension services. This hampered agricultural growth and industrialisation.
Five decades later, the dream of attaining food security remains just that. More than 1.3 million households remain in danger of experiencing chronic famine, which is unacceptable.
The new strategy paper has put forward best plans, proposals and aspiration towards attaining 100 per cent food security. It seems to anchor prosperity of agriculture development in agribusiness.
Given that globalisation has made international trade ubiquitous, focusing on agribusiness to spur agricultural transformation is important. Further, the plan to transform the existing structures and institutions is a welcome idea.
Although the document is well-researched and compiled, one can only judge it by its impacts. Previous failure in implementation of other strategic policies invokes great sense of disillusionment. Questions have been asked on what became of the Agriculture Development Strategy 2010-2020, Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture 2017-2026 and recent Kenya Youth Agribusiness Strategy 2017-2021. The legacy of failure does not inspire confidence in most Kenyans.
As the new policy seeks to strengthen research and innovation, it is not lost to many that research funding has over time drastically reduced. Where will research funds for this process come from?
The issue of governance will not escape attention either. Within the document, it is observed that dams will be renovated and others built. This brings to the fore the media reports on wastage and wanton corruption surrounding dams projects across the country.
Furthermore, the strategy paper seeks to engage youths and women yet previous experience has shown the roles given to these groups are insignificant. In addition, the paper does not identify ways of tackling negative perception of agriculture among the youth, which could pose a serious challenge to its success.
All is not lost though. Attention given to development and adaptation of digital platforms is encouraging. Also, focusing on agribusiness is a strength of the strategy paper. The National government focus on infrastructure projects such as electricity connectivity and road projects in rural areas will provide impetus to private investment.
However, agriculture transformation will not be achieved with the deep-rooted culture of corruption. Good governance is critical to accelerated implementation of the strategy paper. The writer is a Master’s student at the University of Nairobi
