The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) has launched an ambitious initiative to recruit young farmers across the country for sunflower cultivation, aiming to enhance local production of edible oils and reduce Kenya’s heavy reliance on imports.
Speaking during the launch of the Open Week exhibition in Kabete, Kiambu County, KALRO Chairman Dr. Thuo Mathenge announced that the government plans to engage at least 200 young farmers from each of the 47 counties. To support this initiative, the government has allocated approximately 400 acres of land for sunflower farming.
“We will engage the youth through cooperatives and connect them with financial support from the Youth Fund, Agriculture Finance Corporation (AFC), and the Hustlers Fund. Our goal is to show them that agriculture is a viable business and a source of sustainable income,” said Dr. Mathenge.
The initiative aims to provide young farmers with the necessary resources, including access to land, scientific expertise, and modern agricultural techniques. Dr. Mathenge further revealed that the government will facilitate the installation of oil pressing machines and refineries to ensure that the sunflower produce is processed into cooking oil locally, ultimately reducing Kenya’s dependence on imported edible oils.
“This is just the beginning. We want to produce enough oil domestically and stop relying on costly imports. By doing this, we will create jobs for over 10,000 youth and expand into other crops and value chains,” he added.
KALRO Director General Dr. Eliud Kireger emphasized the economic benefits of boosting local sunflower production, stating that if Kenya achieves self-sufficiency in edible oils, the country could reduce its annual import bill by approximately Ksh 60 billion.
“Our youth can tap into this opportunity. We are encouraging sunflower cultivation even at the homestead level, similar to how it was in the 1970s before the market collapsed,” he said.
Kenya has around 14 varieties of sunflower seeds, some of which are drought-tolerant, making them well-suited to the country’s changing climate. Currently, the country produces about 80,000 metric tonnes of sunflower annually but spends up to Ksh 117 billion on edible oil imports.
The KALRO exhibition week, held across various KALRO centers, provides farmers with access to the latest agricultural technologies and improved crop varieties. Farmers also get the chance to purchase high-quality planting materials and learn best practices for sunflower cultivation.
With this initiative, the government aims to revive sunflower farming as a key contributor to Kenya’s agricultural economy, ensuring food security, creating employment, and reducing the country’s import dependency.
