Agricultural extension services play an important role in agricultural development.

Smallholder farmers in low- and medium-income countries lack sufficient access to agricultural production credit that can help them adopt new technologies and improve their farm production.

Worldwide, cell phones are used by 5.4 billion people. They are becoming increasingly prevalent in the rural areas of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), providing smallholder farmers with access to agricultural markets.

Climate change poses a threat to smallholder farmers worldwide, impacting livelihoods and agricultural pro duction. At the same time, agrifood systems account for about one-third of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) has been promoted as a framework to identify a set of solutions that simultaneously sustain agricultural productivity and incomes, increase the resilience of agriculture, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate change represents a major challenge to food systems.

Agricultural mechanization is the use of machinery, equipment, and implements—rather than human or animal power—to carry out agricultural practices.

Agricultural inputs, including fertilizers, seeds, breeding stock, crop protection chemicals, machinery, irrigation, and knowledge, are key to innovation and productivity improvement, and are the backbone of any agricultural revolution.

This book has adopted a food systems framework as a new way of conceptualizing and designing food policies and research.

Food systems incorporate many actors at different intersecting levels and spaces.

A food system includes all elements (environment, people, inputs, processes, infrastructures, institutions, etc.) and activities that relate to the production, processing, distribution, preparation, and consumption of food, and the outputs of thes

Maize is the major food crop in eastern and southern Africa, including Kenya. Maize-based farming systems make up the largest proportion of agricultural land, and maize is central to the food system, in both rural and urban areas.

Production and marketing of fresh produce provides opportunities for small holder farmers in low- and middle-income economies to engage and benefit from high-value markets and value chains.

This book takes a critical look at the Kenyan food system, where it has been, and where it can go.

Throughout Africa, climate change is posing severe challenges to agricultural production and food security.

Low- and middle-income countries worldwide share the common challenge of achieving sustainable economic development while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Kenya is one of the main producers of tomato within Africa south of the Sahara, with an estimated market value of USD 237 million as of 2012, most of which was produced for the national market (Sibomana et al., 2016).

Irish potato is the second most important food crop in Kenya after maize (Kaguongo et al., 2014).

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, CGIAR pivoted its research planning to better support countries as they responded to the crisis.