The nature of my work as an eco­pre­neur requires me to engage with farm­ers almost every day. As a result, I’ve lis­tened to their dreams, walked through their fields, wit­nessed their strug­gles, and cel­e­brat­ed their vic­to­ries. One truth res­onates through­out every cor­ner of this coun­try: Kenya will not be saved by pol­i­tics; it will be trans­formed by empow­er­ing its peo­ple to thrive.

This mes­sage res­onates strong­ly in the May 2025 Agri­cul­ture Sec­tor Sur­vey recent­ly released by the Cen­tral Bank of Kenya. It high­lights a sec­tor on the brink of renew­al, with 89 per­cent of sam­pled farm­ers antic­i­pat­ing improve­ments in agri­cul­ture over the com­ing year. This opti­mism is not arbi­trary. It is ground­ed in favor­able rain­fall, enhanced access to sub­si­dized fer­til­iz­er, and increas­ing con­fi­dence that Kenya’s rur­al back­bone is final­ly receiv­ing recognition.

Sure­ly, expec­ta­tions should prompt action. Despite 65 per­cent of farm­ers receiv­ing sub­si­dized fer­til­iz­er, the report shows that 88 per­cent remain depen­dent on rain-fed agri­cul­ture. This over­re­liance ren­ders our food sys­tems frag­ile and unpre­dictable. If we are seri­ous about unlock­ing the full poten­tial of our agri­cul­tur­al econ­o­my, then expand­ing irri­ga­tion infra­struc­ture must become a nation­al pri­or­i­ty, not just a pol­i­cy wish.

The chal­lenges are well known: high input costs, unpre­dictable mar­ket prices, mid­dle­men who dis­tort val­ue, and lim­it­ed access to cred­it. In 2025, few­er than 40 per­cent of farm­ers accessed loans. Those who did pri­mar­i­ly used them for inputs, essen­tial sur­vival invest­ments rather than tools for growth. Alarm­ing­ly, 91 per­cent of farm­ers still cite pests and dis­eases as the pri­ma­ry con­straints on pro­duc­tiv­i­ty, even more so than the cost of inputs. This high­lights the need for stronger exten­sion ser­vices, pest con­trol strate­gies, and access to agro­nom­ic knowledge.

What farm­ers are ask­ing for is not char­i­ty; they want effec­tive sys­tems, afford­able inputs, reli­able mar­kets, depend­able infra­struc­ture, and hon­est gov­er­nance. Many fear tak­ing out loans because they can­not afford to fail; they under­stand that a sin­gle drought or mar­ket shock could put their land at risk of auc­tion. The report shows that dig­i­tal lend­ing plat­forms remain under­uti­lized, not due to a lack of access but because the finan­cial sys­tem still lacks trust and tai­lored design. We must respond with tools that gen­uine­ly sup­port rur­al enterprise.

We must under­stand that this is not a sec­tor in decline; it is a sec­tor poised to lead.

Opti­mism about the nation­al econ­o­my is also ris­ing. Sev­en­ty-two per­cent of respon­dents expect the country’s over­all per­for­mance to improve in the com­ing year. This belief is close­ly tied to expec­ta­tions about agri­cul­ture. When our farm­ers flour­ish, infla­tion is tamed, GDP grows, and the coun­try becomes more cohesive.

Kenya is at a cross­roads. Glob­al­ly, food sys­tems are under stress, and cli­mate shocks are becom­ing increas­ing­ly severe. How­ev­er, at home, we pos­sess one of the great­est resources of our time: a dili­gent agri­cul­tur­al work­force await­ing deci­sive lead­er­ship and smart investment.

In my opin­ion, the path for­ward is clear. We must pri­or­i­tize irri­ga­tion, invest in mech­a­niza­tion, sta­bi­lize mar­kets, build rur­al infra­struc­ture, expand access to afford­able cred­it, and embrace new finan­cial tools. We must reimag­ine our food econ­o­my not just as a life­line for rur­al Kenya, but also as the dri­ver of nation­al renewal.

The true unit­ing force of a nation is not pol­i­tics; it is the econ­o­my. And the econ­o­my flour­ish­es when peo­ple are empow­ered. This is the mes­sage our pol­i­cy­mak­ers must adopt, our insti­tu­tions must reflect, and our cit­i­zens must support.

When empow­er­ment takes root, divi­sion is replaced by dig­ni­ty. When cit­i­zens can work, earn, and eat, peace becomes a nat­ur­al outcome.

The CBK report has stat­ed it. As we begin the new finan­cial year, let us not waste this moment. The land is ready. The peo­ple are will­ing. The evi­dence is clear. Just because green is not only the col­or of our crops; green rep­re­sents wealth. And it is time we allow that wealth to grow. Think green, act green!