Kenya is turning to technology and better soil management to tackle some of the challenges facing farmers, with Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Sen. Mutahi Kagwe saying 8.9 million farmers are already captured in a national digital register.
Kagwe said the registration under the Kenya Integrated Agricultural Management Information System (KIAMIS) will enable the Government to identify farmers and deliver agricultural support more directly while keeping track of those benefiting from its programmes.
The system will be used to support the distribution of subsidised fertiliser, certified seeds, sexed semen, vaccination and animal identification services.
Speaking at the Nairobi International Trade Fair on Wednesday, the CS said improving the condition of farmland must remain a central part of efforts to increase agricultural output.
He said 63 per cent of Kenya’s soils are acidic, making soil testing an important step before farmers decide which inputs to apply.
“Our business as the ministry, and government is the soil health, not the fertilizer. Good soil health, based on sound science and data, is what shall feed and sustain us,” he said.
Kagwe said farmers risk spending money on inputs that may not address the actual needs of their land if they apply them without first testing the soil. He likened the practice to taking medicine without receiving a proper diagnosis.
The Government has already begun expanding the country’s capacity to test soils through the national digital soil laboratories project launched on September 29.
The project is establishing a connected network of modern, fully equipped laboratories under the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization. The facilities will work alongside national and county governments, farmers, private-sector stakeholders and last-mile soil doctors to make soil testing available to more farmers and process tests faster.
“Collaboration, data sharing, research and practice powered by technology will redefine our agriculture,” CS Kagwe said.
The Ministry is also using digital information to improve how agricultural services are planned and delivered through the Kenya Agricultural and Digital Information Center (KADIC).
Kagwe said the centre will coordinate agricultural data and technology and serve as the sector’s “single source of truth”. It is expected to address challenges around farmer identification, access to agricultural advice, inputs and markets.
Technology is also being taken directly into agricultural operations through a partnership with Fahari Aviation, a subsidiary of Kenya Airways.
The partnership will introduce drones that can be used to apply farm inputs with greater precision, monitor crops and livestock, analyse soils and improve the use of resources. The drones will also assist in identifying pests, diseases and risks associated with changing climate conditions.
“This is a game changer,” CS Kagwe said.
In another initiative, the Ministry has partnered with MPost to introduce universal digital addressing for farmers.
The system is intended to make it easier to identify and locate farmers, allowing extension officers and other service providers to reach them more efficiently. It will also support access to finance, insurance, agricultural inputs and markets.
“It means extension services can reach the right person at the right time. It means farmers can be properly identified and connected to finance, insurance, and markets,” he said.
Kagwe said the partnerships will also help Kenya develop capacity in artificial intelligence and homegrown large language models. He said these efforts will be backed by clear rules on oversight and data protection.
The CS said the Government's focus must now be on putting the various initiatives into practice rather than simply launching programmes.
“What matters now is execution,” he said.
Kagwe said the agriculture sector recorded 3.1 per cent growth in 2025, although farmers continue to deal with climate variability, increasing production costs and changing demands in the market.
He described climate change as the most immediate danger to agricultural production, noting that droughts and floods result in long-term economic liabilities estimated at about 2–2.8 per cent of Kenya’s GDP each year.
He made the remarks under the trade fair theme, “Promoting Climate-Smart Agriculture and Trade Initiatives for Sustainable Economic Growth,” as the Government seeks to use technology, data and scientific farming methods to improve production and farmer incomes.