The Limits of Policy Success: The Case of the Dairy Sector in Kenya

1. WDR Politics and Policy Processes Workshop IDS – Jan 07 www.future-agricultures.org The Limits of Policy Success:The Case of the Dairy Sectorin Kenya Rosemary Atieno, Ph.D. Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya Future Agricultures Consortium Workshop on Politics and Policy Processes for the 2008 World Development Report on Agriculture 22-23 January 2006 Institute of Development Studies, UK

2. WDR Politics and Policy Processes Workshop IDS – Jan 07 www.future-agricultures.org Agriculture Sector Policy-Making in Kenya Policies since independence have varied from total control by the government to liberalisation, with market forces and private individuals playing important role

3. WDR Politics and Policy Processes Workshop IDS – Jan 07 www.future-agricultures.org Role of Political Elite & Interest Groups • Political environment has been a major factor in determining policy initiatives and implementation • Concentration of power among ruling elite  orientation of the policy priorities of government • Politics of patronage  from Office of President on down • Parliamentary approval process  serves as impediment • Nature of politics  political factions/interest groups/alliances

4. WDR Politics and Policy Processes Workshop IDS – Jan 07 www.future-agricultures.org Role of Donors • Donor-driven policies  often have not received strong political support from elites • Establishment of new class of technocrats  aim at overcoming prevailing resistance to change

5. WDR Politics and Policy Processes Workshop IDS – Jan 07 www.future-agricultures.org Role of Civil Society/NGOs • Since mid-1990s, multi-party democracy  rise of Civil Society advocacy and lobbying • Alliances between donors and Civil Society • Mobilisation of farmers/communities to engage in policy process

6. WDR Politics and Policy Processes Workshop IDS – Jan 07 www.future-agricultures.org The Dairy Sector • The dairy sector viewed as long-running ‘success story’ • Classic ‘New Agriculture’ case: • smallholder-based; • private-sector integrated; • pro-poor; • commercially orientated

7. WDR Politics and Policy Processes Workshop IDS – Jan 07 www.future-agricultures.org Elements of Policy Success • Smallholder oriented from the start • Strong political backing across regimes • Focused on high-potential areas with sound market infrastructure • Attractive to private investment • Effective farmer unions/groups • Consistent and strong donor support

8. WDR Politics and Policy Processes Workshop IDS – Jan 07 www.future-agricultures.org But…unresolved issues remain  • Post-liberalisation, policy mainly favours large-scale dairy processors • Market access for smallholders; conflicts between raw milk vendors (mainly women) and dairy processors (mainly men)  gender dimension • Legal and regulatory framework out dated and controlled by large processors • Not transferable to lower potential areas  same conditions do not exist • How ‘pro-poor’ is this ‘success story’?

9. WDR Politics and Policy Processes Workshop IDS – Jan 07 www.future-agricultures.org Lessons: • Replicability  need to locate policy in particular political and agroecological contexts (policy process) • Distribution  ‘pro-poor’ policy outcomes are not a given – requires strategic interventions at high levels (politics is important)