Stakeholders Validate Kenya’s 4th Biennial Review Report
Participants in the July 6-7, 2023 validation workshop.
On July 6-7, 2023, Kenyan stakeholders met in Nairobi to validate the country’s draft 4th Biennial Review (BR) Report, which captures the country’s progress toward Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) goals and supports evidence-based decision-making.
Among the 85 attendees of this hybrid event (63 in-person and 22 virtual) were representatives of the government, the private sector, non-state actors, research and learning institutions, farmer organizations, and development partners.
The Principal Secretary of the State Department of Crops Development, Dr. Muthee, opened the workshop, which began with an overview of Kenya’s agricultural performance as captured in the 3rd BR Report. Then, cluster leaders presented the 4th BR Report data for each commitment area—Recommitment to CAADP, Mutual Accountability, Financing Agriculture, Ending Hunger, Eradicating Poverty, Boosting Intra-African Trade, and Resilience to Climate Variability. Participants carefully reviewed the data in groups, identifying gaps and recommending additional data sources. After a plenary discussion, stakeholders agreed that the data painted an accurate picture of Kenya’s agriculture sector. They also agreed to fill priority data gaps over the coming three days.
The 85 attendees included representatives of the government, the private sector, non-state actors, research and learning institutions, farmer organizations, and development partners.
Stakeholders also discussed ideas for improving both the BR process and Kenya’s agricultural performance. Among the recommendations was cascading the BR process to counties in the 5th cycle. Under this approach, each county leader would be accountable for the county’s progress. This pilot could serve as a model for other countries seeking to roll out CAADP to the lowest levels of government.
Ms. Anne Chele—representing development partners—closed the workshop, which ended with stakeholders committing to recognize, prioritize, and implement the recommendations captured in Kenya’s 4th BR Report.
In addition to tracking country-level progress toward CAADP goals, the BR process fosters alignment, harmonization, and coordination among African Union member states and strengthens national and regional institutional capacities for knowledge and data management.
The July 6-7 validation meeting followed a May 6 workshop, also supported by Policy LINK, in which stakeholders reflected on Kenya’s performance in the third BR cycle, explored data requirements for the current cycle, and developed a common strategy and roadmap for producing the fourth BR report.
Resources
In Kenya, Policy LINK Helps Launch Fourth ‘Biennial Review’ of Agricultural Development