Mumias and KTDA, Kenya: Public Sector Participation

Abstract

Two large-scale schemes in Kenya, financed and managed by a combination of public and private entities, have attracted considerable attention. The Mumias Sugar Company and the Kenya Tea Development Authority process and market the output of a total of nearly 200,000 small farmers. Both have been in continuous operation for more than fifteen years and during that period have considerably expanded the number of smallholders they serve. Because of their apparent success, Mumias and KTDA have often been cited as ‘models’ for smallholder agricultural schemes in Africa. As governments, particularly those in Africa, re-examine the role of the public and private sectors in agricultural marketing as part of their ‘policy dialogue’ with aid donors, the lessons of KTDA and Mumias are becoming increasingly relevant.