Kenya is located in East Africa, bordered by the Indian Ocean, with Somalia to its north and Tanzania to its south. The country’s total land area is 580,367 sq km. In comparison, it is slightly smaller than Madagascar and about twice the size of the state of Nevada in the U.S. Kenya’s climate varies from tropical along the coast to arid in the country’s interior. Of the total land area, only eight percent is utilized for cultivated crops, while no measurable amount of the total land supports permanent crops such as fruit- and nut-bearing trees. Current environmental issues include degraded water quality from the inefficient use of pesticides and fertilizers. Kenya is the regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa, with a services sector that represents more than 60 percent of GDP. The agriculture sector, with primary exports of tea, horticultural products and coffee, represents more than 20 percent of GDP. Kenya’s population is approximately 39 million, with 75 percent of its workforce dedicated to the agriculture sector. Other agricultural products produced in Kenya include maize, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, beef, pork, poultry and eggs. The East and Southern Africa Division is responsible for IFDC activities in Kenya.
Current IFDC Projects in Kenya
- Toward Sustainable Clusters in Agribusiness through Learning in Entrepreneurship (2SCALE), 2012-2016
2SCALE is improving rural livelihoods, nutrition and food security in Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Sudan and Uganda, with 1.15 million smallholder families ultimately increasing their productivity by 100 percent and their net incomes by 30 percent. A key component is the development of a portfolio of 500 robust and viable agribusiness clusters and value chains to supply food to regional, national and local markets and the least fortunate, also known as base-of-the-pyramid (BoP) consumers.
DONOR: The Netherlands’ Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS)
Recent IFDC Projects in Kenya
- Accelerating Agribusiness in Africa – Bridge (AAA-Bridge), 2011-2012
The AAA-Bridge project was an extension of Strategic Alliance for Agricultural Development in Africa (SAADA-B) activities. The objective of AAA-Bridge was to expand IFDC activities and best practices developed in West Africa, such as the Competitive Agricultural Systems and Enterprises (CASE) solution, Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM), fertilizer deep placement (FDP), fertilizer resource assessments and market information systems (MIS), into other regions of Africa. Specifically, this project expansion was designed to replicate the CASE approach and other aspects of the IFDC agribusiness model in select countries of eastern and southern Africa.
- Extending Agro-Input Dealer Networks (EADN) in East Africa, 2008-2011
EADN strengthened and extended agro-dealer capacities in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The project focused on building well-functioning dealer networks that can support the introduction of improved production technologies to smallholder farmers. The project also focused on improving agro-dealer promotion and distribution capabilities for products such as quality fertilizers, improved seed and crop protection products.
DONOR: International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
- Strengthening Trade at the Regional Level in Agricultural Inputs in Africa (STAR), 2007-2010
The STAR project promoted food security and agricultural growth through improved regional trade along eastern and southern Africa’s entire agricultural vale chain. The project improved market access for agro-dealers and smallholder farmers. This included better access to quality inputs and advanced technologies along with improved market linkages, local and regional agricultural policy reforms and greater involvement of agricultural enterprises.
DONOR: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
