Stories and analysis
Deep-dives on Kenya's agricultural economy — written for analysts, investors, policymakers and the agribusiness sector.
How the fertiliser subsidy reshaped Kenya's maize harvest
Maize production has climbed from a roughly 34M-bag baseline to ~38M in 2023, with the Fertiliser Subsidy Programme distributing inputs at roughly half private market prices.
Tea is still the single largest export — but margins are tightening
Production volumes hover around 570,000 tonnes; export earnings around $1.4B. Auction prices have softened while costs creep up.
The pastoralist livestock economy is structurally invisible — but huge
Beef plus dairy plus shoats plus camel adds up to a substantial slice of agricultural income, much of it generated on rangelands.
Why Nakuru sits at the top of the county rankings
Nakuru leads on aggregate agricultural value because of mix, not concentration. Diversity is the moat.
Maize gets 30× more government money than coffee
Public spending tracks political economy more closely than commodity value. Maize and fertiliser subsidies dominate the budget.
The KSh 84B gap between KNBS and the Atlas — and what it means
KNBS and Atlas totals measure different pieces of the agricultural economy: marketed production, informal trade and subsistence use.