Farmers have been urged to increase production and adopt modern farming practices as the government points to higher maize output and improved cotton yields following investments in the agriculture sector.
The call was made during the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Summit held at the Jamhuri Park ASK Showground, attended by President William Ruto.
The government said measures introduced since 2022, including subsidised fertiliser, had helped farmers cut production costs and increase output.
More than 38 million bags of fertiliser have been subsidised since 2022, with the price of a bag falling from Ksh7,500 to Ksh2,000.
The government says the intervention has helped farmers access farm inputs at lower costs, at a time when high production expenses have been a concern for many agricultural producers.
Maize production has increased from 34.3 million bags in 2022 to 71 million bags in 2025, according to figures presented during the summit.
Cotton yields have also improved, rising from 177 kilogrammes per acre to 378 kilogrammes per acre.
The government is now seeking to build on the gains by expanding irrigation, improving agricultural infrastructure and increasing farmers’ access to technology, training and markets.
Plans to develop large, medium and small dams under the National Infrastructure Fund are expected to support the expansion of irrigation to 2.5 million acres.
The expansion is intended to give farmers more opportunities to grow crops beyond rain-fed seasons and maintain production more consistently.
Farmers have also been encouraged to adopt modern farming methods, improve the quality of their produce and explore value addition to increase their earnings.
The government says higher production should translate into better incomes for farmers, rather than simply increasing the amount of produce harvested.
The summit focused on the need to ensure that ongoing reforms and investments deliver tangible benefits to farming households through improved productivity, stronger market access and better returns from agricultural activities.
