The role of international organisations and non-governmental organisations in information support for agricultural policy formulation in Kenya

Frederick Owino, June 1999

Working document series no. 8003

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The agricultural policy formulation scene in Kenya is typical of other countries in sub-Saharan Africa faced with adjusting rapidly to the growing liberalisation of global trade and yet lacking the capability to harness fully the potential of the new information age. Routine policy analysis and policy research capacities are poorly developed and linkages between farmers, researchers and decision-makers in the production, communication and utilisation of information remain weak and sporadic. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and international organisations could play significant roles in strengthening these linkages in order to improve policy formulation and decision-making. This case study assesses the roles NGOs and international organisations play in agricultural policy formulation in Kenya and suggests ways in which these roles could be enhanced.

The study confirms that Kenya lacks the minimum infrastructure for relevant information capture, networking, and utilisation in agricultural policy formulation. Large volumes of valuable data are routinely captured at the field level but are not used in policy analysis and formulation exercises. Particularly disturbing, is the apathy towards the value of information on the part of both those who collect it and of potential users. Thus, policy-makers may be unaware of the information which is potentially available and therefore function as if such collected information is of no consequence for their day to day decision-making. There is thus a great need to sensitise decision-makers to the importance and significance of current and accurate data for policy and decision-making.

Several international organisations in Kenya play significant roles in generating information which is needed for policy-making and are also active in the dissemination of such information. Some even target key policy-makers with information, thereby attempting to influence the process of policy formulation directly. These include the World Bank, FAO, and several bilateral donors such as USAID, GTZ and the Netherlands Government. The World Bank, for example, currently supports a specific programme on agricultural policy development in Kenya. This arrangement opens up excellent opportunities for Kenya to benefit from the experience of other countries in this field.

For the most part, international organisations and NGOs typically disseminate information to decision-makers by means of newsletters, bulletins and reports. Many of them are active in organising workshops and seminars for policy-makers to draw their attention to the type and quality of information needed in their work.

Kenya has a wide range of active NGOs with the potential to provide information support for agricultural policy formulation. These NGOs have a particularly important role to play as they operate at the primary community level. Often, they may be able to capture and relay factual and current information 'on the ground' which would not otherwise be available to planners and decision-makers. Moreover, many NGOs are increasingly being invited and encouraged to participate directly in policy formulation exercises.

It is clear that government agencies and NGOs need to sustain a cadre of competent planners and policy analysis experts and ensure that they have attractive long-term career development prospects (e.g. incentives, tools and professional development opportunities), to enable them to specialise in policy formulation and analysis on a long vocational basis.

International research organisations could maximise the contribution they make by joining collaborative agricultural policy analysis and research ventures with Kenyan institutions. Collaboration with the organisations such as ICRAF, ISNAR and ILRI etc., which are well endowed with expertise and facilities, would result in the realisation of much greater impact than is currently being achieved.

Finally, it is strongly recommended that government ministries and departments recognise the urgent need to evolve sound information management strategies and establish sustainable programmes to implement these.

CTA's working document series consists of material that, in view of its immediate relevance and practical utility to specific readerships, the Centre wishes to make available without the delays inherent in the formal publication process. These working documents have not yet undergone technical editing by CTA and should be cited accordingly. Comments on matters of substance are welcome, and should be addressed directly to CTA