Kenya’s agricultural sector needs to move beyond increasing food production and focus on helping farmers earn more from their work, the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Summit 2026 has heard.
The three-day summit brought together more than 10,000 farmers and other stakeholders to discuss the progress made in the sector and what needs to be done to improve farmers’ livelihoods.
Discussions focused on how farmers can cut production costs, find reliable markets for their produce and get better returns instead of struggling to make a profit despite putting in the work.
Among the areas highlighted were irrigation, climate-smart farming, digital agriculture and mechanisation. Participants also looked at value addition and ways to connect farmers to markets.
These measures are expected to help farmers produce more efficiently while reducing losses and improving their earnings.
However, if the farmers are unable to sell their produce, the increase in the level of production would not help. The process of accessing market and more effective methods of producing crops should still be considered if there is need to make farming a sustainable venture.
The summit put the farmers at the heart of the transformation agenda, from the small scale farmers to the agripreneurs who use technology to make their ventures grow and provide an opportunity for the youths.
With the end of the summit nearing, the issue became how to implement the ideas and commitments made during the three days of discussions.
It would now be the challenge of making sure that the proposed transformation goes beyond the discussion at the summit and provides the farmers in the country with benefits.
Therefore, it is not only about growing more food, but also making the process of agriculture a sustainable business venture.
