Kenya and Australia are looking to work together on several new agricultural initiatives, with the aim of improving productivity and competitiveness within the sector. Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the partnership would help promote innovation, improve farming practices and help young people gain the skills they need.

While the collaboration will be centred around research, advanced livestock technologies and training for young people, further details have not been provided.

The partnership will build on the current research relationship between the two countries. In September 2026, a delegation from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) visited the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) at their Kabete facility.

During the discussions, areas for collaboration were discussed, including soil health, digital soil mapping and livestock feed research. The delegation also toured KALRO’s research facilities and soil labs. The collaboration could help overcome issues faced by Kenyan farmers, including poor soil fertility, high costs and poor livestock feed. Livestock technology could also be a key area of collaboration.

Kenyan livestock producers still face challenges within their industry, including animal health, breeding, feed and high costs. By providing them with better technologies and technical knowledge they can become more efficient and boost their output.

Kagwe has previously stressed the importance of investing in technology to improve the livestock and meat industry.

“We need to invest more in technology driven meat processing so that we can be competitive in local and global markets,” he said during the fifth Kenya Meat Expo in Nairobi in August 2026.

Young people have also been at the centre of the discussions. The government has been pushing to provide practical training and invest in technology to attract younger generations into the industry. This will provide opportunities for those working in farming, food processing, research and agribusiness.

“We need to attract more young people into agriculture. Our average age of farmers is 64 years old. We want to bring that down from 64 to 34,” Kagwe said during the 12th Agritec Africa Exhibition in Nairobi in June 2026.

The partnership could provide opportunities for knowledge sharing, technical training and exposure to modern practices. However, there is no confirmation of any specific exchange or training. The impact of the collaboration will depend on whether the research and technologies can be provided to farmers.

As a large proportion of Kenyan agriculture comes from small scale producers, they would need to have access to the right technologies, technical knowledge and training for the collaboration to make a real difference.

Kenya has continued to invest in international partnerships to improve research, mechanisation and innovation within the agricultural industry. The collaboration with Australia provides another opportunity for collaboration. However, there is no clear indication of what the collaboration will entail.

The two countries are currently looking to identify collaboration opportunities. Further details have not yet been provided.