Increasing agricultural productivity #kenya

According to the Kenya National Bureau of
Statistics, agriculture contributed to 24 percent of
the GDP in 2011, which has been on the same
level over the years. According to the KNBS 2012
data, agriculture is the number three-
employment sector in the country.
Kenya has about 20 percent of arable land but
currently only eight percent of the country's land
is being used for agriculture production. More
land can be put under irrigation and the country
can invest more in greenhouses but cartels in the
various sub-sectors are making it difficult for
farmers to invest heavily.
Agriculture has the potential to not only grow the
economy, but also create a large number of jobs
than any other sector. With more young people
participating in the agricultural sector, the country
can have more food making life more affordable
for millions of Kenyans.
Cartels have infested the tea, coffee, sugar, maize
and milk subsectors in a big way making it
difficult to control access to markets for farmers.
These subsectors require huge investment and it
is not right for a few individuals to take advantage
of this.
Middlemen have been involved in hoarding
agricultural produce in the past and in the process
making it difficult for farmers to make money out
of their hard work. Some have even taken it to
the level of controlling farm inputs making it even
more expensive to make sustainable investments
in the country.
As the government implements its plans such as
ensuring that one million acres of land is under
agriculture by 2017, it must also look into ways of
ensuring that farmers and especially young
farmers make most out of their investment.