Land fragmentation is becoming a huge threat to farm productivity and food security in Kenya, says a research by Kenya’s National Land Commission (NLC).

The shrinking average size of farm holdings is in turn causing encroachment into and degradation of natural ecosystems forests.

The research carried out in 13 counties — Nyamira, Laikipia, Nandi, Trans Nzoia, Taita Taveta, Kiambu, Kajiado, Nakuru, Tana River, Makueni, Isiolo, Kisumu and Vihiga — reveals the devastating effects of land fragmentation mainly through family sub-divisions in inheritance.

The study titled, Effects of land fragmentation on land use and food security, established that this was happening mostly within the highly agriculturally productive areas.

At least 64.5 percent of respondents confirmed they obtained their parcels through inheritance. Much of the land inherited is below two acres that saw 73.4 percent of them witness decreased crop yields in the past 10 years. This was attributed mainly to climate change 50.27 percent as well as reduction in farm sizes (13.91 percent).

Kenya National Bureau of Statistics data shows that the number of smallholder farms of below five hectares increased by 55 percent in 2015/16 from 2.22 million to 7.63 million, and a significant reduction in the number of farms of five-10 hectares (71 percent) from 93,871 to 15,821 and more than 10 hectares (85 percent) from 92,498 to 6,714.

As average farm sizes decline, more than half of rural farm households will control less than one hectare of land over time.

Legislation needed

The research was carried out by the NLC and the Food and Agriculture Organisation with support from the European Union from October 2021.

This was against the backdrop of the Kenya National Land Policy (2009) that mandated identification of a structure to stop excessive land fragmentation.

The Constitution of Kenya 2010 Article 68 (c) (i), requires parliament to enact legislation to prescribe minimum and maximum land holding acreages in respect to private land to promote equity and offload excessive land that is not in productive use to the land market. It also seeks to ensure land is not subdivided into uneconomical sizes.

“Satellite image analysis and classification indicate a significant land fragmentation in all 13 counties under study. Some of the areas that were previously under forestland, wooded grassland and open grassland have had their land use changed to croplands and settlements. This led to decline in the total area under natural vegetation in favour of farming, settlements and urbanisation,” said Dr Mary Wandia, deputy director of research at NLC.

The report recommends among others the formation of a multi-agency taskforce comprising NLC, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning and Council of Governors to establish the minimum agricultural land size in all Counties, and establishment of agricultural reserves in the counties.

The Ministry in charge of Agriculture should work with the County Governments to identify the suitable areas within the respective counties to be gazetted as agricultural reserves.