Occasional Paper No. 03 of 2002 on Agriculture, Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction

Abstract

Reducing poverty is a primary focus of public policy in most developing countries, a fact that is underscored by the recent emphasis on the formulation of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) by African governments, including our own1. This apparent rediscovery of poverty as a central policy issue is misleading as it gives the impression that previous national policies were not aimed at reducing poverty. It is actually the case that all previous development efforts in Kenya and other poor countries have had the ultimate goal of reducing poverty. In fact, in Kenya, we could say that Sessional Paper No. 10 of 1965 on African Socialism and its Application to Planning in Kenya (Republic of Kenya, 1965) was the first Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper in Kenya. This Sessional Paper outlined fairly elaborate policies to fight “disease, poverty and ignorance” which are at the core of most PRSPs. Nevertheless, this recent emphasis on poverty reduction in our policy documents does highlight the seriousness of the problem, and the fact that the last few decades have been marked by a general increase in the extent and severity of poverty in developing countries, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa..