Policy Briefs

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Cowpea Leaves: Feasible Solutions to Overcome Seasonal Availability
(Academia Kenya, 2021-07) Owade, Joshua; Abong', George; Okoth, Michael; Mwangombe, Agnes
Cowpea leaves (Figure 1) is the most produced ALV in the country and has been promoted as a food security crop due to its rich micronutrient content (Owade et al., 2020). However, seasonal availability of the crop constrains its extensive utilization. Moreover, during the long and short rains in ASALs, the vegetables is in abundance but this is followed by scarcity in the off-season. The leafy vegetable has been promoted over the grains of the crop as a cheap alternative source of micronutrients (Mamiro et al., 2011). Value addition of fresh produce is deployed for product diversification and postharvest management of produce. Without postharvest management, Gogo et al. (2017), reports economic losses of 12.6–34.4%, further limiting vegetable availability for household utilization and commercialization. Policy gaps with regards to cowpea leaves in the country are evident due to limited policy focus of this value chain as there is limited documentation of the postharvest losses of any vegetable in the African Postharvest Losses Information System.
Dairy Goat Sector Enhancement Strategies for Sustainable Livestock Farming Communities
(University of Nairobi, 2020-05) Kikwatha, Reuben; Kyalo, Ndunge
Livestock production remains a critical sector in the agricultural economy of developing countries. Among the livestock production systems, dairy goat production has increasingly gained popularity as a significant contributor to this important sector. Innovation and adoption of new technologies, such as the promotion of dairy goat production and the improvement of indigenous goats for better production, are poised to make an even bigger contribution. This is in particular to the Kenya Big Four Agenda focused on eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, promoting gender equality, ensuring universal health care for citizens and habitable housing as well and tackling climate change by 2030.
Digital Innovation for Building Liquidity for Agricultural Payments
(University of Nairobi, 2020-01) Mburu, John; Mujuka, Esther; de Hoogh, Sijmen; Mingate, Vyonne; Reitberg, Ad
Agri- innovation wallet, a promising solution to the problem, is a novel value chain financing option that links farmers, input suppliers, markets and the financial provider. It is an e-wallet platform that facilitates timely and efficient transactions. It targets the unbanked smallholder farmers in contract farming. The off-taker pays the farmer through the wallet, and the farmer saves money restricted for the purchase of agricultural innovations. Input suppliers are also paid through the system, and if need be, farmers access overdrafts for the purchase of agricultural inputs. Digital financial services lower transaction costs, making credit more available. A study was carried out to assess farmers’ willingness to save and borrow funds through the agri-innovation wallet for the purchase of agricultural inputs. Specifically, the study sought to test and monitor the proportion of farmers who would purchase innovations with funds in their agri-innovation wallet and the effect of the innovation on agricultural productivity and the farmers’ income.
Improved Sorghum Variety A Forgotten Gold in the Kenya Drylands
(University of Nairobi, 2020-05) Chimoita, Evans
Agricultural extension and technology transfer services play a vital role in disseminating research knowledge, skills and income-generating strategies among the farming communities in Kenya. However, there exists a disconnect between the amount of information and technologies developed in research centres and what is implemented by farmers. Further, improved technologies are not reaching farmers for utilization as a result of weak linkages between the government's extension providers, who are charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the technologies transfer to the farmers for utilization. Moreover, the effectiveness of the Government of Kenya's extension sector service provision has greatly declined during the last decade due to structural adjustment programmes (SAPs) and liberalization policies. The sector further faces constraints such as reduced and aged extension staff and low funding for operations and maintenance services, leading to weak information dissemination networks.
Improvement of Coconut Production in Kenyan Coast for Income Generation
(Academia Kenya, 2021-07) Oyoo, Maurice
The potential value of the coconut sub-sector is estimated at US$180.6 million. But the actual value is only 25 percent of that (US$44.5 million) annually and consists of nuts (mature and immature-madafu) accounting for about 24 percent, coconut wine (60 percent), Makuti roofing materials (12 percent), brooms (3.3 percent) and coconut wood (1 percent). The low level of productivity is due to old and unproductive orchards – the East African Talls (EAT) with no designed improvement programme since they were introduced in Kenya, inadequate quality planting material, lack of fast means of generating clean planting materials, unavailability of improved varieties and a general lack of value addition (Muhammed et al., 2013). Slow growth and long pre-breeding period of palm is also a factor (Rajesh et al., 2008).
Managing Fragmentation of Agricultural Land for Livelihood Security in Kenya
(University of Nairobi, 2021-01) Mugo, Fridah; Ndegwa, Elijah; Mwangi, Isaac
Kenya’s rural population. As the population increases, per capita land available for farming reduces as more land is used for homesteads. This threatens the livelihood of those who depend on agriculture. Kenya's population has increased from 10.9 million in 1969 to 47.6 million in 2019 (KNBS, 2019). As a result, arable land per person has reduced by 71.4% from 0.42 ha. (1.04 acres) in 1961 to 0.12 ha (0.30 acres) in 2016, and the trend is continuing (World Bank, 2020). The free- hold land tenure system that allows landowners to utilize their land without user and use restriction, sub-division of land for inheritance among heirs, scattered patterns of rural settlement that rests on inefficient utilization of the land resource and unplanned agricultural production are worsening human problems from land fragmentation. Overall, these are a threat to food and livelihood security. Fragmentation of agricultural land is associated with the decline of production in the sector. This study examined the relationship between the inter-generational subdivision of agricultural land and its impacts on food and livelihood security in fifteen rural farming sub- locations covering eight counties: Kisii, Kiambu, Kirinyaga, Embu, Tranzoia, Nyandarua, Machakos and Makueni.
Using Flexible Loans to Improve Access to Credit for Farmers in Kenya
(Academia Kenya, 2021-07) Onyango, Fredrick; Upadhyaya, Radha
ending to the agricultural sector in Kenya is low. According to a report by the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA), only four percent of commercial banks’ lending goes into agriculture (KBA, 2018). Most of these loans go to large farmers as smallholder farmers are unable to meet banks’ requirements as well as the stringent repayment terms demanded by banks. Thus, smallholder farmers have to rely on other sources of finance for farm financing. As Kenya seeks to achieve the food security goal as enshrined in Vision 2030, it is increasingly important to finance smallholder farmers in order to improve agricultural production and productivity and transform the rural economies. Given that farmers do not have regular incomes, making regular repayments from agriculture is untenable. Some lenders, especially microfinance lenders, have designed loan products that offer farmers some flexibility in repayment. Such loans mostly contain features such as grace periods and flexible repayment schedules. Other features include bullet/balloon payments, loan refinancing, loan rescheduling, and credit lines. Flexible loans are expected to be attractive to farmers given that they usually match the cash flows of farmers. Thus, access to credit is expected to improve when loan products are designed with flexible terms. This has been a subject of debate among scholars.

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