Resource information
This Act provides for the establishment of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Authority, the administration of matters of agriculture and the preservation, utilization and development of agricultural land and related matters."Agriculture" in this Act means cultivation of land and the use of land and water for any purpose of husbandry, aquaculture and food production and includes: (a) cultivation of crops and horticultural practice within the meaning of the Crops Act; (b) breeding of aquatic animals and plants in the Kenya fishery waters and sea ranching and fish farming in the sea as provided for in the Fisheries Act; (c) the use of land, meadow land, market gardens or nursery grounds: (d) fish harvesting within the meaning of the Fisheries Act; and (e) the use of land for agroforestry, when that use is ancillary to the use of land for other agricultural purposes; (f) transgenic and microbial formulations for use and application in agricultural systems. The Authority is established as a body corporate and shall be the successor to the institutions established by the Acts repealed under section 41 this Act, i.e. the Crops Act, the Livestock Act and Fisheries Act. It shall, in consultation with the county governments, among other things: (a) administer the Crops Act and the Fisheries Act; (b) promote best practices in, and regulate, the production, processing, marketing, grading, storage, collection, transportation and warehousing of agricultural and aquatic products excluding livestock products; (c) collect data and maintain a database on agricultural and aquatic products excluding livestock products; (d) determine the research priorities in agriculture and aquaculture; (e) advise the national government and the county governments on agricultural and aquatic levies; (f) carry out such other functions as may be assigned to it by this Act, the Crops Act, the Fisheries Act and any written law.The Cabinet Secretary shall, on the advice of the Authority, and in consultation with the National Land Commission, provide general guidelines applicable in respect of any category of agricultural land. These land development guidelines shall be implemented by the respective county governments. In a like manner, the Cabinet Secretary shall make general rules for the preservation, utilization and development of agricultural land and aquatic resources and prescribe national guidelines for soil conservation. The Cabinet Secretary may also declare a plant to be a noxious or invasive weed in any area.Each county government shall within its area of jurisdiction be responsible, for agricultural matters in accordance with Part 2 of Fourth Schedule to the Constitution. They shall keep a register of land development orders and land preservation orders, which they may issue under this Act. The Act also provides for participation by farmers.
Amended by: Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Authority (Amendment) Act, 20l3 (No. 37 of 2013). (2013-07-29)
Amended by: Fisheries Management and Development Act, 2016 (No. 35 of 2016). (2016-09-03)
Amended by: Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act, 2016. (No. 7 of 2016). (2016-04-22)
