Review of Public Investments in the Agricultural Sector in Kenya and Modelled Returns on Investments over the Last Ten Years (Special Focus on Organic Farming)

Biovision Africa Trust

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Abstract: The study was commissioned by Biovision Africa Trust to review public sector investments to the agricultural sector, with a focus on organic agriculture (OA) in Kenya. The period under consideration was 2010-2020. Public investment referred to annual budgetary allocations for agriculture in the state departments of crops, livestock, fisheries, and cooperatives. In some years, other departments such as irrigation and rural development were included in agriculture budget to support increased agricultural production and to develop agricultural enterprise. In such years then the departments mentioned/added were considered to be under agriculture. Public investment to agriculture includes expenditures for national agricultural capital and undertakings, operating expenditure for the departments’ agricultural production, appropriation for rural development and subsidy to agriculture. Using a mixed methods approach (document search, key informant interviews and a participatory process using the KESHO tool), findings show that public investments for organic agriculture are very low. Current estimates indicate that about 3% and 5% of the agricultural budget is allocated to organic agriculture at National and County level, respectively.