Kenya’s capacity to feed its population is under serious threat due to recent changes in the North Rift “grain basket” and other areas. This region is responsible for a large portion of the country’s staple food crops, such as maize and wheat.
Farmers are facing dual challenges as they turn to cash crop farming and witness the growing construction of housing on fertile land near urban centres. Many are opting for more lucrative crops like tea, coffee, pyrethrum, and avocados, which diminishes the overall production of locally grown food.
This shift raises urgent concerns about food security and the sustainability of agriculture, as changes in land use jeopardise the country’s main food sources. The drive towards cash crops is fuelled by farmers’ desire for better returns. However, this trend threatens to sharply reduce the supply of staple crops, pushing prices higher and increasing reliance on costly imports.
The demand for housing has led to an encroachment on rich farming land, particularly in Kiambu, Machakos, and Kajiado counties, which serve the many people working in Nairobi. Fertile land on the outskirts of these urban areas is being rapidly transformed into residential and commercial property, effectively removing it from agricultural use.
A recent Senate report highlights that top food-producing counties in the North Rift and western Kenya are increasingly adopting monoculture farming practices focused on coffee and pyrethrum, at the expense of essential staples like maize and beans consumed by millions of Kenyans. As food shortages escalate, the nation will be compelled to rely on pricey imports. New agricultural policies are urgently needed to encourage farmers in these critical regions to continue cultivating staple crops.
