The flagship projects enumerated above will be supported by the following nine key supportive initiatives:
- Agricultural research and development: enhanced collaboration and coordination among research and education institutions to increase efficiency and create stronger linkages between researchers and farmers. Increased emphasis will be laid on research on irrigation, biotechnology and products suitable for production in the ASALs. Increased investment in agricultural research is expected to contribute significantly to reducing the cost of food production in Kenya.
- Extension services: a more holistic approach will be adopted to agricultural extension that involves government along with the private sector, NGO’s etc in provision as well as more extension linked to markets and value addition will be adopted. Technologies to reduce post harvest losses and support value addition will also be introduced and promoted.
- Transformation of parastatals and producer organisations: to upgrade the performance of agricultural parastatals, commercial ones will be privatised; government will strengthen and consolidate regulatory functions; and producers will be given increased voice and participation in the governance of industry bodies aiming to develop sectors and commodities. Government will help strengthen producer organisations in commodities where they are weak or non existent. Formation of these organisation will particularly be encouraged in marketing of inputs
- Seed and breed quality improvement: for traditional crops and animal species. High yielding but disease resistant varieties will be a priority in the pastoral and other dry areas. The government will intervene towards multiplication of quality crops seeds such as sorghum, legumes, millet, cassava, potatoes, among others, that cannot attract commercial seed companies.
- Test, promote and distribute low-cost irrigation technology: This will be carried out in large schemes on the Tana, Nyando and Nzoia rivers as well as small scale schemes and establishment of livestock feed reserves
- Undertake livestock initiatives: This will include livestock breeding programmes; range improvements, improving access to veterinary drugs and artificial insemination services, livestock marketing; value addition; establishment of livestock feed reserves and infrastructure development.
- Reorganisation of agricultural investment and export promotion agencies;
- Plan for development of identified idle lands in high potential and ASAL areas;
- Legal, regulatory and institutional reforms;
- Improving access to farm inputs: post harvest handling, and efficient management of the supply chain, value addition, Business Development Services and access to markets;
- Promoting the growing and consumption of traditional foods: This will incorporate them into the national food security programme;
- Fast track efforts towards empowering farmers through participatory grassroots stakeholders’ forums: Such areas as technologies and technology uptake, provision of credit inputs, post harvest handling, supply chain management and access to markets;
- Agricultural Financial Services: Measures will be taken to modernise and encourage farmers to adopt agriculture as a business. Institutions and mechanisms for supporting agriculture as a business, including access to financials services, agricultural information services will be enhanced
