UCLA

Kenya depends on agriculture for food production. It is an industry that is currently occupied by smallholder farmers, unlike the colonial era. The smallholder farmers averagely cultivate less than one hectare of land. For the smallholder farmers, farming is a household activity implemented at the subsistence level. However, because the Kenyan economy depends mostly on agriculture, national food security is pegged on the availability of adequate maize supply to meet the food demand.

This primarily historical study aims at examining the successful introduction of the food staple maize crop in Kenya, drawing selectively from an extensive published scholarly literature about crop changes and related policies that were put in place to boost maize productivity. The thesis focuses on land acquisition by European settlers in the early 1900s, the development of White Highlands, Kitale, and other significant areas where maize production made an essential impact on the food economy. The thesis concentrated on the development of the maize crop between 1895 to 1965, the period when maize became the dominant food crop in Kenya, the use of technology, and other public investments like seed company that led to the legacy of maize growing in the post-independent Kenya.

The period of 1985 – 1965 is significant in understanding the introduction of white maize and transition from traditional crops like sorghum and millet to maize. It is essential for understanding why white maize is preferred in Kenya, how maize farming changed Kenya’s economy to an agriculture economy and the evolution of maize politics in Kenya.