Editorial

As we enter the final weeks of 2022, it is essential to take a step back and reflect on all that has transpired in the country’s agricultural sector this year. At KENAFF, it was a year marked by several milestone achievements – from the launch of the KENAFF Strategic plan, 2022-2026, KENAFF FF&AP, 2021-2030 to the hosting of the KENAFF National Farmers Forum , and now the Annual General Meeting 2022.

This year was equally remarkable and eventful for the majority of Kenyans. The highlight that stood out for every Kenyan was the August 9th General Elections, including the manifestos launched by different political parties that were full of exciting promises to the farmers of this country.

As the norm every five years, the farmers of Kenya came out in their numbers to brace the long queues and scorching sun to put the next set of leaders in place. Indeed, that was a test of our democracy. Through the 2010 constitution, Kenyans heralded a new government that hopefully will consolidate the gains made thus far and harness this great nation’s agricultural potential through effective policy implementation and innovative public-private partnerships.

Taking focus back to the Farmers Voice Newsletter, we have carefully selected several articles that you will find interesting and informative as you look forward to the new agricultural year. To start with, we give an overview of KENAFF over the years and how the federation has evolved over time. In addition, we also look at some of the significant milestone achievements made by the federation over the past few years and the current ongoing programmes and projects.

In this issue, we elaborate further on how transforming food systems through inclusive agriculture improves the livelihoods of poor smallholder farmers by integrating them into commercial value chains and thus gaining access to markets, inputs, and services like finances and training, in commercially viable ways.

In the spirit of promoting youth uptake in agriculture as a sustainable livelihood option, this issue features an article written by Peter Owidi on ‘Empowering the youth through agriculture.’ In his article, Mr. Owidi provides valuable insights into critical interventions that can enhance youth engagement in agriculture at various stages along the value chain depending on their interests, education, and available opportunities.

Finally, the Farmers’ Voice Newsletter also contains highlights of recent workshops and trainings conducted by the federation. All these initiatives are aimed at strengthening the farmers’ capacity to leverage the enormous potential of the agricultural sector for economic growth and transformation, while promoting the KENAFF Strategic plan, pillar number 2: Member services.

For these and more, we invite you to read through every page of this newsletter! We trust that you will find it very informative and exciting. Enjoy!

At your service,

Collins Oteko, Communications Officer.

For comments, suggestions, contributions, and advertisements, please write to: farmers@kenaff.org.