Kenya is emerging as a key hub for agro-industrial parks, boasting over 25 parks across the country. While Kenya recognises the role agriculture plays in its development, it has, in partnership with private companies and international organisations like the United Nations Industrial and Development Organisations(UNIDO), established agri-industrial parks across Kenya.
These parks were developed to increase infrastructure, add value to agricultural products, enhance economic growth by improving trade balance and increase GDP, create markets for the products by connecting small-scale farmers to buyers and spur job creation as well. The parks were created in various cities and towns across Kenya, and with speciality in particular farm products. For example, Nakuru Agro-industry Park was developed mainly for meat processing and Mombasa Park for fruit juices and vegetables. Others are Kisumu, Eldoret and more.
The parks are organised platforms with top-quality facilities, skilled and unskilled labour, training centres, farmers, processors, and more. The government is working to establish a ready market platform for farm products. Harvest and after-harvest losses will be greatly reduced by the establishment of the Kenyan Commodity Exchange. A good number of small-scale farmers have been helped to expand to larger-scale farming since the advent of the parks.
However, agro-industrial parks in Kenya are faced with challenges. Many of the parks grapple with financial sustainability, and land tenure systems have always resulted in problems between landlords and tenants. And there exist poor roads linking many parts of parks and the cities.
The parks must develop a better transportation system, like the use of helicopters or railway systems in conveying agricultural products. The parks must move away from the traditional way of doing things and employ digital platforms for their activities. Training and capacity-building sections must be organised for stakeholders on best agriculture practices.
The Kenyan government is working hard to remove the impediments on the path of the projects so partners must also make efforts to complement what the government is already doing.
