A Historical Perspective of The Impact of Rice Policies and Strategies in Kenya

Agricultural policies in Kenya tend to influence agricultural related aspects such as resource allocation to agriculture, input and out price stability, budget allocation and investments in agriculture. Rice has always been considered in the blanket agricultural policies and strategies such as the earliest National Development Plans that were developed immediately after gaining independence. However, it is of recent that stand-alone rice-related policies and strategies have emerged. To understand the impacts of agricultural policies in Kenya on rice value chain, a review based on the already published literature from the colonial period to date was conducted. During the colonial period, government policies were favourable towards export crops such as tea, coffee, cotton and pyrethrum. Rice indirectly benefited from the general rehabilitation of infrastructure. During the post-independence era, the main goal of policies within Kenya were equitable distribution of income, transfer of land, smallholder development. It was marked with establishment of main rice irrigation schemes. In 2008, a stand-alone rice specific National Rice Development Strategy phase one was developed to drive the development within the rice value chain. The second phase runs from 2019 to 2030. Most of the targets have been achieved, however, productivity has still stagnated thus the reliance on importation to meet the domestic demand. Inclusion of rice farming communities in the development of rice-related strategies and interventions can generate greater ownership of rice interventions. Learning from the previous intervention and fast tracking the implementation of the plans and policies can better guide the attainment of the objectives.