By Milliam Murigi
When most people think of Kenya’s breadbasket, their minds often drift to the green highlands of Rift Valley or Western Kenya. Yet the country’s greatest agricultural potential lies elsewhere, in the vast Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) that cover nearly 80 per cent of the nation.
Long dismissed as barren and unproductive, these landscapes may hold the key to feeding Kenya’s growing population and mitigating the country’s vulnerability to climate change.
“All research, innovation, and technologies should be focused on ASAL areas. These areas have the potential to make our country food and nutrition secure,” said Phyllis Njane, Policy analyst, Ministry of Agriculture, during the Kenya National Research Festival 2025.
According to Njane, Kenya’s traditional breadbaskets are facing declining productivity due to land fragmentation, soil degradation, and climate variability. With all these challenges, expanding production in the highlands is no longer sustainable. The ASALs, though harsh, offer the land mass and climate niches that can support a new model of agriculture if strategically developed.
She notes that the foundation for transformation already exists. Research institutions such as the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and international partners like the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) have developed drought-tolerant varieties of sorghum, millet, cowpea, and pigeon pea crops that thrive where maize fails. Livestock research has also introduced improved breeds and rangeland management practices that can boost productivity under dryland conditions.
“Technological innovations are proving effective in pilot projects across Turkana, Kitui, and Garissa. The challenge is scale. Most initiatives remain donor-driven and localized, with limited integration into national agricultural policy frameworks,” Njane added.
According to Prof. Abdulrazak Shaukat, Principal Secretary for Science, Research, and Innovation, office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary the lack of scale means that many of the innovations developed remain out of reach for the farmers who need them most. Without proper systems to extend research from the laboratory to the farm, valuable knowledge continues to sit in research institutions, gathering dust on shelves instead of driving agricultural transformation in the ASALs.
To ensure that this is solved, the Ministry of Education is working to create an ecosystem that connects innovators with investors and financial institutions. The goal is to ensure that promising agricultural innovations are not only developed but also scaled up, reaching farmers across the country and making a tangible impact on food security.
“We already have strong innovations that are well-suited for the ASALs, but they are not being fully utilized. It is time for research in this country to move beyond academic journals and be translated into practical solutions that reach the farmers,” said Prof. Shaukat.
According to him, Kenya cannot afford to keep importing food while vast tracts of land remain underutilized. The ASALs provide ideal conditions for drought-tolerant crops such as sorghum, millet, cowpea, green gram, and pigeon pea. Unlike maize, these crops can withstand the harsh impacts of climate change and are increasingly in demand both locally and regionally. Scaling up their production would not only diversify diets but also reduce dependence on imports and build greater national resilience.
He revealed that unlocking ASAL agriculture could contribute significantly to GDP and rural incomes. Livestock alone, largely raised in ASALs, accounts for about 12 per cent of Kenya’s GDP and employs nearly 90 per cent of the population in those regions. Expanding crop production through dryland farming could diversify incomes and reduce overreliance on pastoralism.
“If Kenya is serious about food security and climate resilience, a policy shift toward ASAL-focused investment is urgent. This means that increasing public research funding targeted specifically at dryland agriculture and integrating indigenous knowledge with formal research to improve adoption,” added Prof Shaukat.
