Kenyan farmers turn away from subsistence methods

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Kenyan farmers are turning away from subsistence farming with the support of the government. But some who spoke to Anadolu Agency accuse the state of inconsistent taxation which is actually pushing farmers into dropping subsistence methods.

On Tuesday, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Willy Bett told Anadolu Agency that farmers in Africa are fast turning their backs on the traditional methods they have used for centuries to instead embrace commercial farming and boost their livelihoods.

Bett, who was speaking to Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of an agriculture conference in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi this week, noted that the sector accounts for 30 percent of the country’s GDP.

According to his ministry’s figures, this year well over half the Kenyan population is dependent on agriculture as a mode of income generation and for food generation.

“We turn our backs on subsistence agriculture to turn mainly into commercial agriculture; if we don’t make agriculture commercial what we are saying is 75 percent of our population will only be doing agriculture just to feed themselves,” Bett said.

Some concur with the minister. John Njuguna, a farmer in Kenya’s agricultural town of Limuru told Anadolu Agency that “traditional ways … further pull down farmers’ livelihoods.

“We are no longer feeding ourselves but the nation; subsistence farming should not be practiced in this day and age.”

However, Njuguna says the government is now pushing farmers to drop subsistence methods by zero-rating some agricultural inputs for the benefit of businessmen.

Bett claims the end target is to make agriculture profitable: “We cannot have people come to towns in search of jobs because the jobs won’t be there anyway; we are really turning our backs to subsistence agriculture and that is our goal now – to make agriculture viable.”

Outsiders too, have taken an interest. While announcing that Kenya’s economy had grown by 5.8 percent earlier this year, the International Monetary Fund’s Kenya representative, Armando Morales, urged Kenyans to enhance productivity of their agricultural sector to fully realize its potential.

Not all are convinced. Lucy Njeri, a vegetable farmer who also keeps cows for milk, disagrees with the minister’s policy of removing taxes on agricultural products.

“Does this include machinery that we use on our farms?” a puzzled Njeri asks.

“No it doesn’t, we are not able to raise funds because the machinery is heavily taxed by our government. I am a farmer: where am I supposed to raise such quick money? I don’t work in an office where I get a salary at the end of the month – if they are zero-rating everything, then it should mean just that, everything,” Njeri said.

Njuguna, who grows tea, vegetables and also keeps cattle, said that some farm inputs are also being taxed.

“No, no it [zero-rating] doesn’t apply to everything; we are being taxed for some seeds and other things that we require for our farms. Most farmers from Limuru are poor; we would really have loved it if the zero-rating applied to all products. Before this most of us were just farming to feed our families but now it’s different.”

Bett announced this week that Kenya will in September host the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) where about 1,500 leaders including heads of state and government, ministers and farmers will gather.