Seventy-five percent of Kenyans derive all or part of their livelihoods from agriculture which also accounts for more than half of Kenya’s gross domestic product. The Agriculture Council of Kenya (AgCK) was established in 2015 by six agriculture sector interest groups to represent the under-represented groups that make Kenya’s agriculture sector a major part of Kenya’s economy. AgCK includes 10 apex organizations and 13 affiliate organizations, representing the interests of about 2.8 million individuals involved in agriculture across Kenya.
Since 2016, Africa Lead has supported AgCK as part of the project’s continental focus on supporting non-state actors’ (NSA) engagement in agricultural policy dialogue. Africa Lead support to AgCK includes technical support for organizational development, membership strategy and communication strategy development, and training on advocacy and consultation (ACT) tools and county budgetary processes. On 18 – 19 October, Africa Lead facilitated a policy brief write shop in Nakuru County for members of AgCK and other non-state actors from various agriculture sector value chains.
Seventeen participants attended the write shop whose main objective was to develop a policy brief on agriculture budget allocations and expenditure, and subsequent implications on agriculture development for submission to the Nakuru County Government. On the first day of the write shop, participants were trained on how to plan, write, and communicate an effective and evidence-based policy brief that addresses needs highlighted in the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP). On the second day of the write shop, the draft policy brief was presented for review by all participants. A session on lobbying and advocacy strategy helped participants identify the key people that the draft policy brief should be presented to.
“I have left here equipped with the necessary skills to develop a policy brief and I’m encouraged that, as NSAs, we can voice our concerns in such a powerful way to the county,” said Daniel Wanjama of Seed Savers Network at the end of the write shop.
At the conclusion of the write shop, AgCK appointed a committee to refine the draft policy brief. Once finalized, Africa Lead will facilitate a validation workshop where the policy brief will be presented for validation to Nakuru County Government officials in November 2018.