By Mutahi Kagwe

Agriculture, as the backbone of our economy, is a common refrain that continues to shape the livelihoods of millions of small-scale farmers across the country. For generations, farming, which remains largely subsistence, has been anchored in traditions and shared knowledge passed down by our forefathers.

To date, many farmers determine the resilience of their farms and the vitality of their soils by observing crop behaviour, applying nutrients based on experience and monitoring weather patterns. While these practices have sustained generations, they have also contributed to a cycle of low and inconsistent production that often fails to match the rising costs of inputs and labour, leaving many farmers demoralised.

But agriculture is evolving, not only because of increasingly erratic weather patterns associated with climate change, but also because of advances in farming practices and technology.

One of the challenges confronting Kenyan agriculture is soil acidity, which has severely affected about 63 per cent of the country’s arable land, approximately 7.5 million hectares. This is contributing to declining yields of staple crops and threatening national food security.

For optimal crop yields, farmers need to improve soil composition by ensuring that essential nutrients are available to support better water retention, natural disease resistance and long-term soil sustainability.

Too often, farmers apply fertiliser and other soil nutrients based on habitual practices, general recommendations or trial and error. Yet soils are not identical. It is therefore important that farmers understand the specific characteristics and nutrient requirements of their soils before applying fertiliser.

This is where soil testing becomes critical. It should be a key step before every planting season, supported by both the national and county governments through farmer education and accessible testing services.

A farmer’s soil can have very different levels of acidity, nutrients and organic matter from that of a neighbouring farm. Blind fertiliser application, without a comprehensive analysis of the soil, can therefore result in inefficient use of inputs and poor crop performance.

Food security is a government priority and a key pillar of the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda. Through collaboration across the agricultural sector, we must help farmers rethink decisions about what they apply to their soils and break the repetitive cycle of declining production of both staple and commercial crops.

The government has facilitated soil testing through the refurbished and re-equipped soil chemistry laboratory at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) in Kabete. With modern analytical equipment and enhanced diagnostic capacity, the facility will help accurately measure soil pH, nutrients and contaminants, enabling farmers to make more informed decisions and optimise crop yields while reducing fertiliser wastage.

As the Ministry mandated to oversee food production and accessibility, we encourage farmers to make greater use of soil testing facilities to improve the efficiency and productivity of their farms. County governments must also make soil testing services accessible to farmers and explore co-financing programmes that do not place an undue burden on them.

Soil testing is a worthwhile investment, and its benefits have been demonstrated through agricultural experiences in countries such as Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia.

More than eight million farmers are registered under the Kenya Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (KIAMIS), with five million benefiting from the government’s fertiliser subsidy programme. The programme is intended to cushion farmers against the rising cost of production while contributing to the country’s food security agenda.

However, the gains from this important initiative can be undermined when a farmer receives a bag of NPK or DAP fertiliser without first establishing whether those nutrients are actually required by the soil.

The results we seek cannot be achieved through government initiatives alone. They require concerted efforts among stakeholders across the public and private sectors, from the sourcing and distribution of fertilisers and other inputs to research, farmer education and extension services.

As we advocate for soil testing among farmers, we must strengthen collaboration between researchers, fertiliser suppliers and farmers to transform agricultural decision-making from guesswork into precision agriculture.

We must prioritise farmer sensitisation on the availability of soil testing laboratories and facilities and educate farmers on what their soils contain, what they lack and what they require to efficiently support their labour and maximise agricultural productivity.

We must also encourage sustainable soil management practices, including mulching, reduced tillage and crop rotation, to improve soil health and agricultural output.

When farmers understand the chemical characteristics of their soils, the necessary adjustments can be made more accurately. This improves the efficiency of farm inputs, reduces unnecessary expenditure and contributes to better yields.

For Kenya to achieve food security, we must move from a culture of applying inputs based on assumptions to one where decisions are informed by evidence. The future of productive and sustainable agriculture begins with understanding the soil beneath our feet.

The writer is the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development.