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Kenya, 7 September 2026 - Kenya's Principal Secretary for National Treasury on Monday met with newly appointed International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Country Director Matteo Marchisio to strengthen ties and improve livelihoods of Kenyan farmers as they strive to ensure food security for the entire population.
Dr Kiptoo noted that for over 45 years, IFAD has stood with Kenya’s rural communities, supporting programmes that have reached more than 4.5 million households across 15 counties.
"I congratulated Mr Marchisio on his appointment, and we look forward to opportunities for additional financing as we deepen the Kenya–IFAD partnership and advance initiatives that improve livelihoods and create lasting opportunities for farmers and rural households," Dr Kiptoo said after he hosted Marchisio at the National Treasury offices in Nairobi.
IFAD invests in rural people to fight poverty. The Fund states that four of the world's poorest people live in the rural areas of developing countries. It adds that most of these people depend on agriculture for their livelihoods.
If supported, they in turn produce much of the food people in both rural and urban centres consume.
"It’s not an easy job," IFAD notes.
IFAD further states that people living in poverty face massive economic, social and environmental challenges ranging from climate shocks and food insecurity, to inequality, conflict and lack of access to resources.
IFAD notes that these overlapping problems cannot be solved only by these farmers alone. They need support from both governmental and non-governmental organisations.
"As an assembler of development finance, we partner with governments, the private sector, civil society and others to provide grants and concessional and low-interest loans to developing countries. This helps to address critical needs and support rural people as they lead their own development," IFAD notes.
IFAD East Africa recently participated in the Africa Food Systems Forum 2026 which took place in Kigali, Rwanda between 1 and 4 September 2026.
The Fund noted during the high-table dialogue that partnerships drive sustainable food systems. During the AgriConnect session in the Kigali forum, IFAD and World Bank shared with participants important lessons and innovations on how collaboration can unlock opportunities for farmers, agribusinesses, and rural communities across Africa.
More from Kenya
Kenyan delegations joined other stakeholders at the 20th edition of Africa Food Systems Forum 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda, to discuss ways of improving agriculture and strengthening food systems across Africa.
The four-day forum concluded on Friday last week with key take away of localising African solutions to African problems.
Panel discussions focused on reinforcing food systems and empowering farmers throughout the continent.
Technology, including generative AI, featured prominently in the talks.
Experts stressed the need to change the current situation in which only 10% of extension officers’ data is utilised, while many non-governmental organisations working to support farmers are excluded from government planning across Africa.
They called for greater investment in advisory services, action to overcome fragmented data, and the creation of a unified infrastructure that would help farmers achieve higher yields and better production.
The Kenyan delegation was hosted at the Kenya High Commission in Rwanda before participating in the high-level forum.
Principal Secretary for the State Department for Cooperatives in the Ministry of Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development, Patrick Kilemi, together with Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka and their delegation, were hosted in Kigali by Ambassador Janet Mwawasi Oben upon their arrival for the forum.