The Role of an Enabling Policy Environment in Strengthening Cassava Value Chain in Kenya

Abstract

In 2023, Kenya produced 1.188 million tonnes of cassava on 76,012 hectares with average yield of 15.63 t/ha (FAO,2025). While cassava has a high potential for use as animal feed, and industrial production of ethanol and high quality starch, the low investment in the cassava value chain coupled with poor coordination of value chain actors limits its role in contributing to the country’s GDP, youth employment And attainment of the targets under Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Strategic Plan 2023 – 2027 and Kenya’s vision 2030.

The current informal seed system that involves the use of poor-quality planting materials coupled with little to no collaboration among value chain actors among other challenges weakens the innovation ecosystem. Multistakeholder platforms and cassava innovation platforms help in strengthening collaboration among value chain actors and finding solutions that affect not only the seed systems but also processing and value addition. Cassava innovation platforms are networks, partnerships or forums of diverse stakeholders in the cassava value chain who cooperate, interact and learn to develop a shared vision and identify solutions to a common problem or development challenge as a group or individual members (FARA, 2007; Nederlof et al., 2011).