On farms in Nakuru and Kitale, declining or stagnant maize yields illustrate concerns about the costs and environmental effects of Kenya’s increasingly input-dependent agricultural model. The Continent follows farmers Leonard Terer and Andrew Rotich, who describe reliance on hybrid seeds, synthetic fertilizers and credit. Terer reports only a modest increase in maize productivity over 14 years, while Rotich says repeated nitrogen fertilizer use has contributed to soil acidification and declining yields on parts of his 150-acre farm.

The resource places these experiences within a wider critique of the Green Revolution approach promoted by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), which is headquartered in Kenya. Citing a working paper by agricultural analyst Timothy Wise, it reports that Kenya’s staple-yield index declined by 8 percent during AGRA’s first two decades, while the number of undernourished people doubled. Civil-society organizations, including the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, argue that greater emphasis should instead be placed on soil health, dietary diversity, farmer autonomy and locally adapted agricultural practices.

The article also examines alternatives proposed by agroecology advocates, including green manure, cover crops and greater use of Indigenous foods such as millet and sorghum. Nutritionist Ruth Oniang’o describes this approach as a “rainbow revolution” centred on food diversity and farmer autonomy. These perspectives are presented as alternatives within an ongoing debate rather than evidence that any single approach would, by itself, resolve Kenya’s food-security challenges.