“Agriculture has been one of Kenya’s major activities and at times has been referred to as the back bone of Kenya’s economy. Different forms of agriculture ranging from cash crop, horticulture and livestock farming are practiced in different regions. Therefore agriculture is embedded in local people’s lifestyle.
Attempts to fully exploit agriculture’s potential in the country have proved futile over the time. Traditional known agricultural practices have continued being practiced and little efforts have been put in exploring new ideas in the agricultural sector. Therefore, this has led to constant arising problems that deny farmers potential maximum benefits from their produce in order to better their living standards.
Estimates reveal that a quarter of world’s poor are rural farmers (World Bank, 2001). This is evident from Kenya’s situation whereby most poor people live in rural areas and mainly depend on agriculture. Kenya has a high potential for agritourism given that agriculture is one of its major activity. Introduction of agritourism can be a catalyst to both income and non-income benefits to farmers. Therefore, these benefits would work to meet Kenya’s financial and infrastructural needs.
Income benefits in form of cash acquired from agricultural tours, farm stays and sale of farm products can improve farmers’ livelihoods whereby they are able to secure educational opportunities, access medical needs, food as well as get decent housing. Non-income benefits would better their lives as tourism activities around areas they live would attract other investors such those offering auxiliary service for example banks, hospitals as well as recreational facilities. Again this would lead to establishment of new infrastructure such as transportation and communication channels and in turn open up the areas. On environment, it would help in retention of agricultural land for future food production thus reducing environmental destruction.”
Agritourism and Poverty reduction
“ While relating poverty to small enterprises such as agritourism outlets in which farmers have potential to invest in, the International Labor Organization defines poverty as a condition in which people lack satisfactory material resources of food, shelter, clothing and housing, also are unable to access basic services such as health, education, water, sanitation and are constrained in their ability to exercise rights, share power and land, their voices to the instructions and processes which affect the social, economic and political environments in which they live and work.
Agritourism thus provides a platform for local farmers to acquire alternative tangible and intangible income benefits, protect rural landscapes and agricultural lands and educate the population about food production and environmental protection. This strengthens local economies that promote the well-being of the people as well as improving their living standards.”
Excerpts from; Noel, M. M (2011) “PERCEIVED CONTRIBUTION OF AGRITOURISM VENTURES TOWARDS POVERTY REDUCTION IN KENYA: A CASE STUDY OF KILIMO TALII ORGANISATION, MERU.” -Undergraduate Research
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