Policy Brief No. 12 of 2023-2024 on A Green Revolution in Kenya’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands: The Fertilizer Solution

Abstract

The agricultural sector is the leading contributor to Gross Domestic Product in Kenya. It contributed 20.9 per cent, 22.6 per cent, 22.4 per cent and 21.2 per cent to GDP in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively.1 Fertilizer use in Kenya plays a crucial role in sustaining the country’s agricultural sector, which serves as a cornerstone of the nation’s economy and food security. With a predominantly agrarian economy, the application of fertilizer has become an essential practice for Kenyan farmers. It enhances crop yields, improves soil fertility, and contributes to the overall well-being of the population by ensuring a steady food supply. Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) of Kenya are still struggling, with agricultural output with most of them averaging 2 per cent of the agricultural output in their Gross County Product (GCP). Approximately 78 per cent of farmers in Kenya are small scale, with land sizes of less than 5 acres, which constitute 33 per cent of total farmland but at the same time they produce about 41 per cent of the country’s food grains. In 2021, smallholder farmers generated output estimated at around Ksh 385 billion, which was double the output value (Ksh 141 billion) generated by large scale farmers (those who cultivate above 2 hectares of land) in the same year