REPORT: Political economy analysis of the Kenyan food systems

 ​Rampa, F., and Dekeyser, K. 2020. AgrInvest-Food Systems Project – Political economy analysis of the Kenyan food systems. Key political economy factors and promising value chains to improve food system sustainability. Rome, FAO. 63 pages

Last updated date 11/01/2021 (typos corrected)

This publication supports the AgrInvest-Food Systems project by analyzing Kenya’s national food system through food systems and political economy approach. These approaches resulted in mapping and linking Kenya’s food system outcomes and challenges, structural factors and drivers, sustainability challenges, and institutions and actors.

These analyses led to the identification of two promising value chains for SDG-aligned investments, namely indigenous vegetables and aquaculture, and of the bottlenecks that currently impede more investments in Kenya.

The analysis provides information to guide the interventions under the FAO AgrInvest-Food Systems project, which aims to help stakeholders understand and manage the complex choices around food system sustainability and resilience, and more specifically assists in promoting sustainable investments in food value chains through a politically informed food system approach. With a view both to narrowing down the complexity involved in Kenya’s food system and increasing the chances of successfully contributing to its improvement, this analysis proposes the adoption of a value chain and a territorial focus for AgrInvest-Food Systems, based on the possible pathways for strengthening sustainability that emerged from this analysis. Indigenous vegetables and aquaculture were identified as strengthening these value chains, which could provide opportunities to simultaneously: contribute to healthier and diversified diets, women’s empowerment, agro-biodiversity protection, better smallholder’s income opportunities, production diversification and climate-resilience; build upon increasing national demand, high potential for processing and synergies with other value chains, as well as growing traction and multi-stakeholder initiatives; while targeting sectors that are currently neglected by policies, research and partnerships.