The Kenya Maize Development Programme: Lessons for Food Security and Sustainability

Maize is not only the staple food for many people in Africa, but also a main source of household income for smallholder farmers. With the right kind of policies in place, the sector could therefore substantially contribute to improved food security. This briefing paper explores possible policy interventions by drawing lessons from the successful implementation of the Kenya Maize Development Programme (KMDP). In eight years, KMDP managed to triple smallholder farmer maize yields, resulting in increased earnings of $208 million for 370,000 smallholder farmers.