Research Paper Research The Role and Performance of Ministry of Agriculture in Nyeri South District Booker Owuor, Beatrice Wambui, Gem Argwings-Kodhek and Colin Poulton December 2009 Research Paper 018 | June 2010 www.future-agricultures.org Table of Contents 1. Introduction individual farmers, 4 farm input stockists, 3 1. Introduction............................................................................................................................................................1 Agriculture is the backbone of Kenya’s economy credit institutions and 5 out-put buyers were 2. Agricultural Activities in the District.....................................................................................................................1 with many urban, and most rural folk deriving also interviewed. Non-governmental organiza- 3. Agricultural opportunities in the district............................................................................................................3 4. Agricultural challenges in the district..................................................................................................................3 their livelihoods directly or indirectly from agri- tions (NGOs) were targeted for the survey, but 4.1 Other stakeholders views on farmers challenges.....................................................................................6 culture. The performance of the sector is there- surprisingly there are hardly any NGOs active 5. Roles of Ministry of Agriculture within the District......................................................................................7 fore refl ected in the performance of the whole within the agriculture sector in the district. One 5.1 The Ministry’s Own View.....................................................................................................................................8 economy. Growth in the agricultural sector exception is Africa Harvest, which is slowly 5.2 Other stakeholders’ and farmers’ views.........................................................................................................8 translates directly to the improvement in living making an entrance in to Nyeri South district 6. Performance of Ministry of Agriculture Over Time......................................................................................10 6.1 Ministry of Agriculture’s Interface with other stakeholders.................................................................11 standards of many farm families. Nyeri South with the introduction of tissue culture bananas. 6.2 District Agricultural Committee and District Agricultural Stakeholders forum............................16 District has a vibrant agricultural sector that A list of persons and institutions interviewed is 6.3 Limitations of Ministry of Agriculture...........................................................................................................17 provides the main source of livelihood for over in the Appendix. The fi ndings of the work were 7. Infrastructure....................................................................................................................................................19 82% of its residents1. Three commodities with presented back to local stakeholders for valida- 8. Fragmentations of Ministry of Agriculture......................................................................................................20 varied histories - tea, coff ee and dairy - are the tion and additional discussion at a workshop 9. Budget preparation....................................................................................................................................................21 main agricultural enterprises. Eff ective realiza- held in the CDF Hall in Othaya on 05/20/2010. 10. Conclusions and Policy recommendations...................................................................................................21 tion of the agricultural sector’s goals in the This paper is organized as follows; chapter 2 List of tables district depends on reviving these commodities presents the agricultural activities and oppor- Table 1: Acreage allocation of diff erent sub-sectors to agro-ecological zones..............................................2 in a sustainable manner. For this to be achieved tunities in the district. Section 3 describes the Table 2: Agricultural challenges facing farmers in Nyeri district...................................................................................4 however, the structure, capacity and coordina- opportunities for agriculture in Nyeri South Table 3: History of Agricultural activities in Nyeri South district..............................................................12 tion capabilities of the agricultural sector minis- district while section 4 describes the agricultural Table 4: Interface of Ministry of Agriculture with other stakeholders..............................................................15 tries must be up to the task. challenges. Section 5 describes roles/duties of List of fi gures This study focuses on the roles, performance, MoA at the district level. It also gives challenges Figure 1: Organisational structure of Ministry of Agriculture in Nyeri South district...............................18 financial and human capacity of Ministry of experienced by farmers as perceived by diff erent Figure 2: Time allocation of a FEW in Chinga South Location..............................................................19 Agriculture (MoA) in Nyeri South District of stakeholders. In section 6, the study looks at how Kenya’s Central Province. Particular attention is the ministry has performed over time and at the given to how the ministry interacts with other performance of the sector over the same periods agricultural stakeholders in the district. The and also discusses MoA’s interface with other objectives of this study are to generate evidence stakeholders in the district. It also highlights on patterns and trends in the scope and leverage limitations of MoA. Section 7 discusses infra- of MoA at the district level and to draw implica- structure in the district while section 8 talks tions for its capacity to play a coordination role about the fragmentations of Ministry of agri- in the sector in the district, and to be demand- culture. Section 9 briefl y highlights the budget driven and responsive to the needs of process and fi nally section 10 gives conclusions stakeholders. from the study and draws policy implications. The study was conducted during November and December 2009. Qualitative methods were 2. Agricultural Activities in the used in data collection mainly through inter- District views guided by an interview checklist. Offi cials Nyeri South covers a total area of 184.2 km2 with of agricultural sector ministries were inter- 98.9 km2 being arable and 85.3 km2 categorised viewed, including the Ministry of Agriculture, as non-arable. As such, it is a very small district: and the Livestock Production and Veterinary the furthest person who wants to access services Production departments of the Ministry of at the district headquarters travels only 14 Livestock Development. 4 farmer groups, 8 km. Research Paper 018 | June 2010 ii 1 www.future-agricultures.org Prior to the recent creation of additional one willing to sell land anymore. On the very delivered to Othaya Dairy Cooperative society Rabbits are also an upcoming source of food districts in Kenya, Nyeri South was a division of rare occasions that one would be selling, the that acts as a link between farmers and milk in the district and those that have tasted the 3 the larger Nyeri district, that also included price drives away many prospective buyers . processors like New Kenya Cooperative meat attest to its palatable taste. While we were Othaya, Tetu, Mukuruweini, Kieni East, Kieni The tea sub-sector in the district has an Creameries (New KCC) and Brookside among conducting the study, there was a field day West and Municipality divisions (all also given organised and stable market – unlike coff ee. Tea others. Othaya Dairy Cooperative society buys organised by Ministry of Livestock on rabbit the administrative status of district in August cooperative societies are well managed and leaf milk at Ksh.27 per litre and sells at an average meat eating. Attendance was good and everyone 2009). At the time of the 1999 census, Nyeri collection centres are well distributed within the of Ksh.29.50 with the margin used in running had a chance to taste the rabbit meat. The South division had a total of 88,291 inhabitants, proximity of farmers. Payments are timely and the society. The society is making profi ts and is of whom 42,170 were males and 46,121 females. transparent. The key disadvantage farmers give number of rabbit keeping farmers in the district also able to fi nance their farm input department Assuming 2.5% p.a. population growth since with this crop is that it cannot be intercropped is growing and will continue even more as the which gives farmers inputs on the basis of the 1999, the population in 2009 would be around with other crops especially where land fragmen- market is already growing faster than amount of milk supplied. Othaya Dairy discour- 113,000 and the population density over 600 tation is very extreme. production. persons per km2. Coff ee on the other hand has been in decline ages farmers from selling their produce direct Agriculture is the mainstay of people in Nyeri for some time. Farmers cite political interfer- to Brookside, New KCC