Kenyan finance minister Amos Kimunya has allocated farmers 7.5 billion Shillings ($113 million) to go towards agricultural extension services in his recently announced budget for the upcoming financial year. The funding is Sh1.1 billion ($16.5 million) more than the farmer education and support department received in 2006/2007, which should bolster attempts to improve farming and introduce new technologies in agriculture.
Funding woes have been blamed for the stagnation of a sector that is the basis of livelihood for more than 80 per cent of country's population. The determination to fix the sector is underpinned by recent studies that show lack of information on key areas such as new seed types and farming methods.
In the past, allocations to the ministry were diverted to areas such as research, with little impact on the overall outcome. Public expenditure review in 2005 indicates that during the period between 2002/03 and 2005/06, more than 41 per cent of the total extension and research budget went to the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), while the remaining 49 per cent went to recurrent expenditure.
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June 15, 2007
Kenya allocates more funds for extension services
Categories capacity building, Kenya
