AGRA to Create 77k Jobs, Double Kenya's Maize Production with Focus on Small-Scale Farmers

• AGRA plans to double Kenya's maize production to 7.9 million bags, increase rice production by 574%, and create 77,000 youth jobs over the next five years
• Alice Ruhweza reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting small-scale farmers across Africa
• Ruhweza emphasised that the shift in global funding dynamics requires AGRA to collaborate with governments, investors, and philanthropists to fill the widening financing gap

Elijah Ntongai, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has over four years of financial, business, and technology research and reporting experience, providing insights into Kenyan and global trends.

Nairobi– Agriculture development agency's (AGRA) new president, Alice Ruhweza, has reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to small-scale farmers across Africa.

Ruhweza pledged a renewed focus on homegrown agricultural solutions as traditional development aid faces seismic shifts.

Speaking at a high-level reception in Nairobi attended by government officials, diplomats, donors, and private sector leaders, Ruhweza outlined AGRA’s strategic pivot amid waning global development financing.

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“We gather at a pivotal moment in international development when the ecosystem of support we have known for decades is fast changing. This shift in the funding landscape demands greater efficiency, innovation, and collaboration from organisations such as AGRA,” said Ruhweza.

Focus on small-scale farmers

She said the agency would intensify support for smallholder farmers, who remain the backbone of Africa’s food systems but are now increasingly vulnerable due to tightening global aid and climate-related pressures.

Responding to TUKO.co.ke at the reception, Ruhweza said the core mission of the organisation is to reach the small-scale farmers on the requirements to enhance productivity.

"AGRA was started 20 years ago specifically to work on productivity among smallholder farmers. For us our mission has always been that smallholder farming should transition from survival to a thriving business sector. Our focus will always be the small holder farmers and increasing productivity to ensure smallholder farmers have enough for subsistence and enough to sell," Ruhweza said.

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Ruhweza, who took over the leadership of AGRA earlier this year, emphasised that African governments, private investors, and philanthropists must now fill the widening funding gap as global aid becomes more constrained.

AGRA's goals and future outlook

Over the last 20 years, AGRA has supported more than 26 million farmers in 11 African countries, providing access to improved seed varieties, affordable fertilisers, and functioning markets.

Now, under Ruhweza’s leadership, the agency is setting more ambitious targets, especially in Kenya.

In the next five years, AGRA aims to double Kenya’s maize production to 7.9 million bags, increase rice output by 574%, and create 77,000 jobs for youth.

Through its National Value Chain Support Programme, the agency is currently helping 1.26 million farmers in 41 counties access critical agricultural inputs.

Ruhweza also pointed to the immense potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to unlock new opportunities for smallholder farmers, describing it as a “game-changer” for intra-African trade in agriculture.

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“With a single market of 1.3 billion people and a combined GDP of $3.4 trillion, AfCFTA can elevate African agriculture to new heights, if we get the fundamentals right,” she noted.

AGRA’s renewed focus will also target structural inequalities in farming by equipping young people with modern agricultural skills and ensuring that women farmers get equal access to resources and markets.

Govt to release maize from food reserve

In other news, the Kenyan government has announced plans to release maize from the Strategic Food Reserve.

The government will also allow the importation of 5.5 million bags of yellow maize to curb rising unga prices, which have surged from KSh 100 to KSh 160 for a 2kg packet since January 2025.

Agriculture CS Mutahi Kagwe assured consumers that the situation is under control, citing sufficient reserves and duty waivers for animal feed importers to ease pressure on white maize.

The government is also negotiating maize imports from Tanzania and encouraging farmers to grow yellow maize to meet domestic feed demand.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.

Source: TUKO.co.ke