The programme conducts priority
research in horticultural Crops (flowers, fruits,
vegetables and potatoes) and Industrial crops (pyretrum,
cotton and oil crops).
The horticultural sub-sector
in Kenya plays a major role in meeting domestic
needs for food, the generation of income and foreign
exchange and creation of employment. An estimated
1.8 million people are employed in the sub-sector.
Since small-scale growers constitute 80% of the
horticultural producers, this sub-sector plays an
important role in the alleviation of poverty by
providing higher incomes to small-scale farmers
who constitute 75% of Kenya's farming population.
It is noteworthy that only 4% of the horticultural
produce is exported while the bulk is consumed in
country thus contributing to a balanced diet for
the growing population.
Goal
Appropriate/superior horticultural crop production
technologies and knowledge to sustainably enhance
incomes of rural people developed, validated and
usage catalysed.
Purpose
Development and validation of profitable horticultural
and Industrial crop production technologies and
their usage catalysed.
Expected Outputs
Horticultural and Industrial
crop varieties with desirable characteristics
bred, validated and adoption catalysed.
Agronomic/crop management
technologies for profitable horticultural and
Industrial crops developed, validated and adoption
catalysed.
Appropriate and profitable
crop protection technologies for the management
of biotic factors in horticultural and Industrial
crops (diseases, pests and weeds) developed,
tested and validated and adoption catalysed.
Suitable and profitable
post harvest technologies for horticultural
and Industrial crops developed, tested and validated
and adoption catalysed.
Marketing information on
horticultural crops compiled, assessed, disseminated
and used to enhance profitability of the enterprises.
Networking between KARI
centres involved in horticultural and Industrial
crops research activities initiated, promoted
and fostered.
Collaborative networks with
ASARECA, IARCs, NGOs, extension service and
private sector strengthened and monitored.
Future Strategies
New policies under WTO and changes in Kenya's status
regarding its main partner countries concerning
horticultural exports will affect the sector and
there is need for KARI to collaborate with the stakeholders
for better policies and conditions for Kenyan horticultural
farmers, particularly the smallholders. KARI will
take special interest in the process of production
and post harvest handling of horticulture crops
to assist the farmers to meet the stringent product
quality requirements in the export markets. Breeding
and introduction of improved varieties with resistance/tolerance
to a number of economically important diseases and
pests remain a challenge for the horticultural sector
including potato production. IPM will be further
pursued and strategic partnerships with IARCs and
the private sector maintained and intensified. Collaboration
with KARI's biotechnology programme, the IARCs and
other international research organisations on biotechnology
will be intensified, especially in horticultural
crop breeding. Horticultural scientists will endeavour
to develop profitable, efficient and low input horticultural
technologies in order to enhance the rate of return
to production investments. Linkages will be fostered
and collaboration strengthened with other stakeholders
to scale up improved small-scale irrigation technologies
for the sub-sector. Business opportunities for KARI
in terms of service delivery at cost will be increasingly
utilised to establish sustainable funding sources
for the Institute's research programmes.