cases from tanzania - Sustainet

4 Agricultural policy in Kenya and Tanzania
ciencies, and increase the cost of doing business. An opaque and biased judicial system adds
uncertainty. Competitiveness suffers, as do institutions that promote standards and quality
control may also suffer. This is particularly serious in Kenya, but prevails in Tanzania too.
The efficiency and effectiveness of the government extension services in Kenya has declined.
This is due to falling budgetary allocations, a lack of clear objectives, a failure to identify the
role of beneficiaries, and poorly defined organizational and institutional structures. Research
organizations are weak in developing and transferring appropriate technologies to farmers.
According to Transparency International (2001), corruption has been a major problem in
both countries, especially in Kenya. In Tanzania, the 1996 Presidential Commission on Corruption
noted a dramatic increase in bribery and corrupt practices in the public and business
sectors at all levels. Petty corruption is widespread and is found in virtually every sector of
public service down to the village level. In 2001, Transparency ranked Tanzania as seventhworst
country in terms of perceived corruption (it scored about the same as both Kenya and
Uganda). The report suggests that the major payers of bribes are foreign corporations.
Both countries rely heavily on assistance from international donors, which have made their
support dependent on the governments’ addressing the mismanagement of public resources.
The governments have created agencies and laws to tackle corruption, and have undertaken
reforms in the judiciary, public procurement, etc. But progress is slow and full of setbacks.
Land grabbing is increasingly common in Kenya. Although formal structures are in place
through which to apply for and acquire land, inefficient and corrupt management leads to
further inequity in land distribution, and to conflicts over land between different population
groups such as farmers and pastoralists.
Current policies “The agricultural sector is currently governed by about 130 pieces of
legislation many of which are obsolete, unenforceable or inconsistent with current policy.
This has increased costs for compliance and discouraged private sector participation and
investment. The review of laws and regulations governing the operations of the agricultural
sector will be undertaken to remove barriers to production, processing and marketing. This
will be achieved by:
(i) Amalgamation of existing legislation to have fewer broad based acts to suit prevailing
circumstances
(ii) Encourage self-regulation by facilitating capacity building for stakeholder organizations
(iii) Collaborate with other relevant sectors to that have a bearing on the implementation of
the strategy”
(KSRA, short version, p. 5–6).
“Kenya’s agriculture is predominantly small-scale accounting for 75% of the total agricultural
output and 70% of marketed agricultural produce. Processing and marketing is organized
through farmers’ organizations, cooperatives and statutory bodies… However, in the last two
decades, their effectiveness has been impaired by weak governance and mismanagement. There
is urgent need to improve management structures and accountability. Action required:
(i) Establish an ethics commission for cooperatives backed by a code of conduct for cooperatives
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