Agriculture is the main livelihood for 75% of the population.
However, crop yields are chronically low and many rural inhabitants are unable to improve their livelihoods as a result.
Low investment in agriculture, use of outdated farming methods, limited use of inputs, subsistence farming practices that lack diversity, and land subdivision comprises a long list of reasons why agriculture has been unable to improve the livelihoods of many rural communities.
Unemployment rate in rural Kenya is high.
Consequently, many rural inhabitants are forced to migrate to urban areas in search of work and a chance to support their rural families and improve their livelihoods.
Unemployment rate in urban areas is approximately 7%.
Those who migrate to the cities often must compete for jobs and are the ones most likely to end up living in squalor or become homeless.
To reverse a trend that has seen a rapid rise in the number of homeless people in Kenya’s towns and cities
Agriculture must be the focus.
Rural farmers need the access and ability to utilize as many tools as possible that are necessary to improve their production capabilities and the opportunity to derive livelihoods.
Rural farmers need to increase the diversity of their agricultural enterprises beyond that which they use for their subsistence.
Agricultural development in rural communities needs to come from small-scale industries, which add value to agricultural produce. Small-scale agricultural-based industries can help revitalize livelihoods in rural communities by providing employment opportunities which in turn may slow the flow of migrants to urban areas.
Mwandani International 