Speeches Shim
In Kenya, significant political attention has been toward the improvement of food staples productivity, both to offset the rapidly increasing costs of food imports and to stimulate increased incomes and food security at the household level. However, many smallholder farmers, particularly in the semi-arid areas are unable to participate in the supported food staples value chains. Geographic barriers like remoteness, and poor access to natural resources such as water, limit market participation of smallholder farmers in these regions.
USAID is working with the Government and people of Kenya to lay the foundation for inclusive, market-driven economic growth in line with Kenya’s Vision 2030 – the country’s long-term development plan - which is an important cornerstone of the country’s Journey to Self-Reliance. Kenya’s small and medium enterprises in agriculture and other trade sectors are the vehicle that will make this long-term goal achievable. They play a vital role in job creation and economic development.
Kenya has the largest, most diversified economy in East Africa with agriculture being the backbone of the economy and also central to the country’s development strategy. More than 75 percent of Kenyans make some part of their living in agriculture, and the sector accounts for more than a fourth of Kenya’s gross domestic product (GDP). However, agricultural productivity has gradually stagnated in recent years, despite continuous population growth.
The Kenya Crops and Dairy Market Systems Activity (KCDMS) is a five-year USAID program funded activity under Feed the Future, a U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative. The initiative’s goal is to help increase agricultural production and reduce poverty and malnutrition in Kenya. The KCDMS activity is being implemented in 12 counties and designed to spur competitive, resilient market systems in Kenya’s horticulture and dairy sectors. Kenya is one of the fastest-growing economies in sub-Saharan Africa.
Feed the Future Kenya Agriculture Regulatory Capacity Building Program (FOODSCAP) is a three-year program implemented by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS). It is funded as part of Feed the Future (FtF), the US government’s global hunger and food security initiative that helps to increase agricultural production and reduce poverty and malnutrition.
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