By Kepher Otieno - Reporter
Kenya, 9 July 2026 - A five-year German-supported agricultural development programme is undergoing a strategic appraisal aimed at determining how it can become self-sustaining while creating more employment opportunities for young people in western Kenya's agri-food sector.
The assessment, being undertaken by Germany's development agency GIZ in partnership with the Kisumu County Department of Agriculture led by the county executive member for agriculture Ken Onyango and the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), seeks to evaluate the programme's impact and recommend future interventions to Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). This is after experimenting with it for the last five years.
Now, lead consultants Julie Reiner and Karen Asinza are conducting the appraisal, while Katharina Schlemper, GIZ's Head Coordinator for Rural Development and Food Security, is overseeing the regional programme. The team visited Agina to consult on best way forward that can be sustainable.
Since its launch five years ago, the initiative has concentrated on training farmers, building their technical capacity, promoting the adoption of certified seed varieties and encouraging proper fertiliser use to improve productivity. It is now evaluating whether those gains can be sustained beyond donor support.
The programme targets key agricultural value chains including rice, maize, sorghum, industrial crops, sugarcane, dairy farming, horticulture, cotton, cage fish farming, beekeeping, fingerling production and high-value enterprises such as chillies, arrow roots, potatoes and African leafy vegetables.
Speaking during stakeholder consultations, KNCCI Kisumu Chapter Chairman Israel Agina said agriculture remains the backbone of Kisumu's economy and must increasingly be treated as a commercial enterprise rather than a subsistence activity.
"Agriculture is the mainstay of our economy. We want our farmers to embark on aggressive agribusiness farming. The future lies in producing for markets, adding value and creating jobs, especially for young people," Agina said.
He said KNCCI would continue supporting market linkages, value-chain development, capacity building, enterprise incubation, public-private partnerships and investment promotion to strengthen agricultural businesses across the region.
"Our responsibility is to connect farmers to markets, promote investment and support entrepreneurship so agriculture becomes a profitable business capable of attracting young people," he added.
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The appraisal is focusing particularly on youth employment in the agri-food sector across western Kenya, with the findings expected to guide future investments in agriculture, agribusiness and rural development.
Development experts say the review comes at a time when agriculture is under increasing pressure from climate change, rising production costs and fragmented markets. They argue that strengthening value chains, expanding agro-processing and improving market access will be critical to creating sustainable employment while enhancing food security.
Kisumu enjoys significant agricultural potential through its rice-growing Kano Plains, expanding dairy industry, fisheries, sugarcane farming and horticultural production. However, inadequate value addition and weak market integration continue to limit farmers' incomes.
The partnership between GIZ, KNCCI and the Kisumu County Department of Agriculture seeks to address those challenges by strengthening the entire agricultural value chain—from production and aggregation to processing, packaging, marketing and financing—while building resilient enterprises capable of thriving after donor funding ends.
The consultants' recommendations to BMZ are expected to prioritise increased investment in climate-smart agriculture, irrigation, mechanisation, agribusiness incubation, youth enterprise financing, cold storage facilities, agro-processing, digital market platforms and export promotion.
If adopted, the proposals could reinforce Kenya's Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda while positioning western Kenya as a competitive hub for commercial agriculture, value addition and youth-led agribusiness.
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