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Kenya

The agricultural sector plays a critical role in the Kenyan economy; more than 40% of the population (70% in rural areas) depends on agriculture for their livelihood. The sector represents 18% of all formal employment and also provides a livelihood for a large part of the country’s youth. The Kenyan agricultural sector has performed relatively well in recent years, recovering from a negative growth rate of -2.1% in 2000 to 2.9% in 2013. The strong internal demand for major staples, pulses, livestock products and horticultural goods as well as returns from key export subsectors, notably coffee, tea, pyrethrum, fruits, vegetables and cut flowers have been key to recovery. However, agricultural growth remains low relative to the growth in the other sectors of the economy. The national diet is heavily based on starchy staples, with maize representing 36% of the country’s daily calorie intake. Kenya is simultaneously affected by both over and undernutrition and persistent micronutrient deficiencies, and these issues vary according to region. Indicators reflect that nutritional deficiencies are particularly serious in the North-Eastern region, while overweight and obesity are high in Nairobi.

Read the full country dossier here, visit the Kenya innovation contest page here, and read the country innovation study on the status of agricultural innovations, innovation platforms and innovation investments in Kenya here.

Agricultural Typology of Kenya:

Source: Maruyama et al. (2018)

Kenya on

Publications

Copyright or copyleft: An assessment of farmer-innovators’ attitudes towards intellectual property rights

A Comparative Study on the Determinants of the Level of Mechanization in Kenya: The Case of Rice and Banana Value Chains

2019 | F. W. Makini | W. W. Mulinge | L. O. Mose | J. Ongala | B. Salasya | M. Makelo | G. M. Kamau | N. Wawire

Published as FARA Research Report Vol. 4 No. 15

Read the full report here.

 

PARI Policy Brief No. 17: Improving Protein Nutrition of Dairy Cattle in the Tropics

PARI Policy Brief No. 15: Seed System Development: Fertile Grounds In Sub-Saharan Africa

Innovation Opportunities in Dairy Livestock in Kenya

Honey Bee Network in Africa: Co-creating a Grassroots Innovation Ecosystem in Africa

Improving milk value chains through solar milk cooling

Mechanization in African Agriculture: A Continental Overview on Patterns and Dynamics

Differential Impacts of Conservation Agriculture Technology Options on Household Income in Sub-Saharan Africa

Yield effects of selected agronomic innovation packages in maize cropping systems of six countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

Innovation Opportunities in Sweet Potato production in Kenya

2018 | FW. Makini | LO. Mose | GK. Kamau | B. Salasya | WW. Mulinge | J. Ongala | MN. Makelo | AO. Fatunbi

Read the full report here

Published as: Makini FW, Mose LO , Kamau GK, Salasya B, Mulinge WW, Ongala J Makelo MN and Fatunbi AO (2017). Innovation opportunities in Sweet potato Production in Kenya. Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA).

Read more Innovation Opportunities in Sweet Potato production in Kenya

Impact of Agricultural Innovation Platforms on Smallholder livelihoods in Eastern and Western Kenya

2018 | F. Makini | W. Mulinge | L. Mose | B. Salasya | G. Kamau | M. Makelo | J. On’gala

Read the full report here.

Published as: Felister Makini, Wellington Mulinge, Lawrence Mose, Beatrice Salasya, Geoffrey Kamau, Margaret Makelo, and On’gala, J. (2018) Impact of Agricultural Innovation Platforms on Smallholder livelihoods in Eastern and Western Kenya. FARA Research Results Vol2(6)

Read more Impact of Agricultural Innovation Platforms on Smallholder livelihoods in Eastern and Western Kenya

Identifying Options for the Development of Sustainable Seed Systems – Insights from Kenya and Mali

Innovation Opportunities in Sweet Potato production in Kenya

2018 | F. Makini | L. Mose | G. Kamau | B. Salasya | Wellington Mulinge | J. Ongala | M. Makelo | O. A. Fatunbi

Read the full report here.

Publishes as: Makini F. et al (2018) Innovation Opportunities in Sweet Potato production in Kenya. FARA, KALRO and ZEF.

PARI Policy Brief No. 9: Innovation for Sustainable Agricultural Growth in Africa – Insights from Research Dossiers on 12 PARI Partner Countries

Recognizing and rewarding farmers’ creativity through contests: experiences and insights from four African countries

Agricultural Mechanization in Kenya: rice and banana value chains

2017 | F.W. Makini | G.M. Kamau | L.O. Mose | J. Ongala | B. Salasya | W.W. Mulinge | M. Makelo

Read the full report here.

Published as: Makini FW, Kamau GM, Mose LO, Ongala J, Salasya B, Mulinge WW and Makelo M (2017) Status, Challenges, and Prospects of Agricultural Mechanisation in Kenya: The Case of Rice and Banana Value Chains. FARA Research Results Vol 1(2)Read more Agricultural Mechanization in Kenya: rice and banana value chains

Innovation for Sustainable Agricultural Growth – 12 Country Dossiers

Change in crop management strategies could double the maize yield in Africa

PARI Poster: Recognizing Farmer Innovators in Africa

The ReSAKSS Country eAtlases

2017

The ReSAKSS Country eAtlases is a GIS-based mapping tool designed to help policy analysts and policymakers access and use high quality and highly disaggregated data on agricultural, socio-economic, and bio-physical indicators to guide agricultural policy and investment decisions.

Solar Milk Cooling with Insulated Milk Cans

2016 | University of Hohenheim

The University of Hohenheim developed a milk cooling solution based on a commercially available DC Refrigerator equipped with an adaptive control unit for its conversion to a smart ice-maker that operates depending on the availability of solar energy. It can help small- and medium-sized dairy farms to improve the storage, transportation, and hygiene of their produced milk.

More information is available here. Read more Solar Milk Cooling with Insulated Milk Cans

Country Innovation Studies

2016 | Prepared by the PARI national partners and FARA

The Innovation Studies for the 12 African PARI countries provide an overview of the status of agricultural innovations, innovation platforms and innovation investment in the respective country. Read more Country Innovation Studies

On the use of agricultural system models for exploring technological innovations across scales in Africa: A critical review

2016 | R.P. Rötter | F.L. Sehomi | J.G. Höhn | J.K. Niemi | M. van den Berg

Published as: ZEF – Discussion Papers on Development Policy No. 23, Center for Development Research, Bonn.

Download full paper

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PARI Policy Brief No. 1: Strategic Directions for Development Collaboration for Food Security and Agricultural Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa

Tapping Potentials of Innovation for Food Security and Sustainable Agricultural Growth – an Africa-wide Perspective

Report on Potentials and Cooperation Opportunities in African Countries

Potentials and Possibilities for German Collaboration in Agriculture – 12 Country Dossiers

Regional trade and volatility in staple food markets in Africa