Kenya to benefit from US$690M multi-agricultural development projects by the World Bank

KENYA – Kenya is set to benefit from KES 100 billion (US$690M) worth of funding from the World Bank to sponsor multi-agricultural development projects that seeks to halt traditional annual food imports in the country.

Mithika Linturi, Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary confirmed this while speaking at a Mombasa hotel during a joint Annual National- County World Bank Agriculture Portfolio Performance Review Consultative Workshop.

Themed “Nurturing Sustainable Agricultural Growth for Food Security and Wealth Creation”, the annual forum brought together the World Bank representatives and national and county officials to lay down strategies to end cases of food importation due to the shortage of enough food in the country.

Linturi said the five key World Bank-funded projects implemented in 46 Counties include the National Agriculture Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP), covering 33 counties, the Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP) covering 24 counties and National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project (NARIGP) in 21 counties.

Others are Emergency Locust Response Program, Kenya (ERP) in 15 Counties, and the Food System Resilience Project (FSRP) that commenced in January 2024.

“I appreciate the World Bank’s collaboration with the National and County Governments in making the agricultural sector more productive and resilient, contributing to the reduction of poverty, increasing incomes and improving food security while mitigating the effects of climate change,” said Linturi.

He underscored that the World Bank’s community-centred approach to funding projects prioritizes sustainability by empowering beneficiaries. The projects directly impact 15 million farmers and we are collaborating closely with County Governments to support key value chains in the agricultural sector

The CS also promised that the Kenya Kwanza Government’s Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) places agriculture at the centre to realize one hundred per cent food and nutrition security for all Kenyans.

“Through the Agricultural Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy (ASTGS) 2019-2029, my Ministry aims to contribute to the national development agenda by increasing; incomes of small-scale farmers and pastoralists; agricultural output and value-added products; household food resilience and embracing data and digitization agenda,” Linturi added.

Linturi noted that Kenya produced 61 million bags of maize in 2023, compared to 31 million bags produced for the last four years. In addition, the government targets to produce 80 million bags in this year’s production.

He attributed the improved food production in the country to the subsidies offered by the government like the subsidized fertilizer programme that was initiated by the Kenya Kwanza government and the registration of farmers across the country.

The Chairperson, Council of Governors Committee on Agriculture and Bungoma Governor, Kenneth Lusaka and his deputy Kahiga Mutahi of Nyeri County, Principal Secretary Crops Development Dr Paul Ronoh, World Bank Country Team Representatives, County Chief Executives among others, also attended the forum.

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