Are you interested in learning about agriculture in Kenya? We’ve collated some quick facts to help you understand how vital agriculture is in the country and the challenges facing farmers.
Kenya has a varied climate
From the cool highlands to the warm and hot lowlands, Kenya has multiple climates to grow different types of crops.[1]
There are 6.4 million agricultural households in Kenya
76% of this figure is for subsistence farming, and 23.3% is for commercial farming.[2]
The average holding site for a farmer is 1.5 acres
60.9% of the 6.4 million agricultural households grow more than one crop and have an average holding site of 1.5 acres.[3]
Kenya’s main staple food is maize
Kenya’s main food groups are classified into cereals (maize, wheat, sorghum, rice millets), pulses (beans, pigeon peas, cow peas, green grams), and roots and tubers (Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, yarrow roots and yams).[4]
Kenya has two main growing seasons
The long rains season from March to May; and the short rains from October to November.[5]
Climate change is a concern
Climate change has brought droughts and floods, compromising food security in the country.[6]
Bad infrastructure can affect crop prices
Poor infrastructure in rural areas means that farmers are forced to sell their crops at low prices, leading to reduced incomes and less investment in agriculture. Some companies, like Transmara Sugar Company, are making positive strides, taking care of building and maintaining the roads in the factory catchment area.
Agriculture contributes 33% to Kenya’s GDP
Agriculture contributes 33% of Kenya’s GDP and another 27% of GDP indirectly, through links with other sectors.[8]
Agriculture employs over 40% of Kenya’s total population
The agricultural sector employs over 40 per cent of Kenya’s total population and more than 70 per cent of Kenya’s rural people.[9]
Transmara Sugar Company has about 14,000 contracts signed with outgrowers.
As of July 2024, Transmara Sugar Company has partnered with 10,000 farmers (14,000 contracts) representing 12,500 ha under cultivation in the Narok region. Transmara Sugar Company trains about 1500 farmers annually on the best sugarcane farming practices, and the contracted farmers benefit from our services, which include land preparation, seed cane, fertilisers and cane field weeding.
Pest control is vital to growth
At Transmara Sugar Company, we have a small agronomy section in the Agriculture department that conducts adaptive sugarcane variety trials to determine sugarcane varieties that perform the best under Transmara conditions. We periodically assess sugarcane weed, pest and disease control products through our integrated management protocols. Monitoring of sugarcane pests is vital to the sugar industry, food security and the larger agricultural sector in Kenya. These include the sugarcane yellow aphid, Sipha flava, the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda, and sugarcane diseases such as Smut, Orange Rust and Ratoon Stunting Disease (RSD).
Topography and rainfall can be challenging
Due to the topography and rainfall in the Transmara region, Transmara has had to develop a new transport system. The sugar company uses side loaders to take the cane out of the fields, avoiding damage to the cane stools. On average, a side loader carries about 8 tons per trip.
Taking care of the cane stools enables the crops to grow well and allows the cultivation of the sugarcane for several ratoons.
Farmers in Transmara produce three times more sugarcane
In 2023/4, farmers in the Transmara region produced about 1.5 times more crop yield than farmers in other parts of Kenya.
