To unlock Kenya’s agricultural potential, Kilimo Trust convened stakeholders at the Kilimo Trust Media Round Table in Nairobi this morning, calling for immediate government investment in key areas of the sector.
Dr. Birungi Korutaro, CEO of Kilimo Trust, urged national and regional actors to focus on unlocking Kenya’s agricultural potential through strategic interventions.
“To unlock Kenya’s agricultural potential, I challenge the government to invest in irrigation, structure markets, link agriculture to youth employment, and reconsider import-dependent policies that negatively impact the sector,” said Dr. Korutaro.
She stressed that agribusiness is a critical driver of economic and social transformation and shared Kilimo Trust’s impact across East Africa.
“Kilimo Trust has worked with 2.5 million smallholder farmers by building their capacity to trade locally and regionally,” she said. “In Kenya, we’ve supported key value chains such as fish, rice, greengrams, and coffee.”
Antony Mugambi of Kilimo Trust emphasized innovation in value chains.
“When you take the value chain actors through the innovation process, they appreciate it more,” said Mugambi.
He shared insights from a regional analysis of the rice value chain and emphasized agroecological practices.
“We have conducted an in-depth analysis of the rice value chain and understand consumer preferences. Let’s explore and make use of agroecology to ensure maximum production and link it to trade for example, growing maize in Kitale and greengrams in Ukambani,” he said.
Mugambi also announced the planned Centre of Excellence for Regenerative Agriculture, which will feature soil and plant labs and an agri-entrepreneur hub to promote sustainable food production.
The roundtable spotlighted Kilimo Trust’s commitment to climate resilience, job creation, and sustainable markets all vital steps to unlock Kenya’s agricultural potential.
