KENYA

Abstract and Main Features

The National Agroecology Strategy for Food System Transformation (NAS-FST) 2024–2033 provides a comprehensive framework to transition Kenya’s food systems toward sustainability, resilience, and inclusivity. It aims to ensure food and nutrition security, climate-resilient livelihoods, and social equity through agroecological approaches. Recognizing the unsustainability of current food systems and the rising impacts of climate change, the strategy promotes practices that regenerate ecosystems, empower communities, and reduce reliance on external inputs. It is particularly relevant for Kenya, where agriculture supports over 80% of the rural population and is central to economic development. At the same time, it supports counties to contextualize the strategy into their needs and hence develop local initiatives committed to amplifying their use of agroecology and strengthening its local impact.  

Some of the main features of this strategy include: 

• Provision of a national framework to guide countries in developing their own agroecology policies. 
• Promotion of circular food systems, including food rescue, composting, and waste-to-energy initiatives, to reduce food loss and environmental impact. 
• Strong alignment with international commitments  such as the United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021, UNFCCC COP 28, Agenda 2030 and other national priorities such as Vision 2030, Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
• Strong promotion of traditional knowledge in food systems and cultural heritage. 
• Promotion of urban and peri-urban agroecology. 
• Adoption of the One Health approach in recognition of the interconnection between human, animal, and environmental health. 

Objectives 

The overall objective of this Strategy is “to promote a sustainable transformation of the food system in Kenya to ensure food security and nutrition, climate resilient livelihoods and social inclusion for all.” 

The Strategy has five Strategic Objectives:  

1. Fostering the transition to resilient and sustainable agriculture and food systems through agroecological approaches. 
2. Promoting sustainable consumption and facilitating transition towards healthy and sustainable diets for all. 
3. Creating an enabling environment for agroecology transitioning and scaling up. 
4. Strengthening research, innovation, and training, foster co-creation, and co-learning on agroecological approaches. 
5. Enhancing social equity, inclusion, and participatory governance in the food system. 

Key Target Groups  

Kenya’s National Agroecology Strategy includes vulnerable key target groups – in particular: women, youth, indigenous people, vulnerable and marginalized groups – as a central element in the list of its strategies, highlighting the need to secure their rights and making reference of their rights also in the country’s Constitution of 2010. This strategy addresses two issues that are critical in securing social equity and responsibility in the food system: first, promoting interventions that guarantee their rights to land, productive resources, and other forms of services; second, facilitating their active engagement and ownership of actions in food systems transformation. 

Expected Results 

Some of the expected outcomes this strategy is expected to deliver are the following: 

• Agricultural and food systems across the country are transformed through agroecological approaches that enhance productivity, ecosystem health, climate resilience, and long-term sustainability. 
• Populations increasingly adopt sustainable consumption patterns and healthy, diverse diets, contributing to improved nutrition, reduced food waste, and minimized environmental impacts. 
• A supportive policy, legal, and institutional framework is established to facilitate the transition and scaling up of agroecology, including inclusive financing mechanisms and multi-sectoral coordination structures. 
• Robust systems for research, innovation, capacity development, and knowledge exchange are operationalized, promoting co-creation, co-learning, and evidence-based decision-making for agroecological transformation. 

Food systems governance becomes more inclusive, participatory, and gender-responsive, ensuring that women, youth, and marginalized groups are empowered to actively participate in and benefit from agroecological transitions. 

Strategy Development Process 

The development of this National Agroecology Strategy is described as a participatory and stakeholder-driven process guided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and the Intersectoral Forum on Agrobiodiversity and Agroecology (ISFAA) with the participation of several partner organizations, academia, research institution, farmer representatives and CSOs.  

Ministries and Stakeholders Involved in the Process 

• Government authorities : Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Climate Change, Ministry of Health, Joint Agriculture Sector Steering Committee, National Museums of Kenya, Ministries of Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), PCB, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO). 
• Technical platforms: Agroecology Transformative Partnership Platform (TPP), Intersectoral Forum on Agrobiodiversity and Agroecology. 
• Development partners: European Union, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale (GIZ) and German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). 
• Academia: University of Nairobi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. 
• Research Institution: The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), World Agroforestry Centre. 
• CSOs and NGOs: PELUM Kenya, Biovision Foundation, Action Aid International, Hand in Hand Eastern Africa, BIBA Kenya, Seed Savers Network, Grow Biointensive Agriculture Centre of Kenya, Heinrich Böll Foundation, Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN). 
• Farmer and producer organizations (KENAFF). 
• Private sector and inputs suppliers 
• County governments: Vihiga, Murang’a. 
• Further community-based organizations. 

Implementation 

The implementation of Kenya’s National Agroecology Strategy is coordinated through a multi-level structure named the Agroecology Strategy Implementation Summit, involving national and county governments, civil society, research institutions, and the private sector. At the national level, the Agroecology Strategy Implementation Summit and a National Technical Committee on Agroecology provide leadership and coordination, while counties integrate the strategy into their development plans via their own technical working groups. The implementation of the strategy is organized into five strategic pillars, each containing defined objectives and actions to achieve them. Ultimately, a dedicated Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework tracks progress using key performance indicators, while a knowledge management system ensures data sharing, learning, and continuous improvement. 

Budget and Funding 

The estimated budget for the overall implementation of this strategy is Kenyan Shelling 26.8 billion (approx. USD 207.800). 

Funding for the implementation of this Strategy is identified from some of the following resources: 

• Allocations from national and county governments. 
• Donor agencies and parters. 
• Private investors and NGOs. 

N.B. This summary was reviewed by the civil society organization PELUM Kenya

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