 | History
The history of the Federation dates back to 1946 when the organization was known as the Kenya National Farmers Union (KNFU). It was formed mainly to serve the interests of the large-scale white settler farmers. After independence in 1963, the small-scale farmers agitated for the formation of their union, a process that was concluded in 1973, with KNFU changing its constitution to accommodate smallholder farmers, the majority of whom it represents to date. During this period, the Union became a very strong lobby group, agitating for price control measures and equitable distribution of land resources.
The economic reforms in Kenya between 1980-1997 compounded with internal leadership problems affected the Union. During this period, Commodity Associations replaced the Union in the marketing boards. Meanwhile, these organizations dealt with specific enterprises, and hence the space for the Union was still seen to be very relevant.
The period 1997-2002 saw the revival of the Union. A new team of visionary leaders reached out to many development partners and other stakeholders who agreed to support the revival efforts. Commodity Associations agreed to join the Union in order to strengthen the valuable voice of farmers in Kenya. The change from individual to corporate membership came in with the change of name from National Farmers' Union to a Federation of Agricultural Producers.
The need to rejuvenate the federation's identity in 2002 stemmed from the realization that the members required better services. In addition, it came after an assessment of the activities of the Union that recommended the need for the Union to adopt a business like approach, in order to generate its own funds. The leadership begun conducting aggressive membership recruitment drives and changed its name to the Kenya National Federation of Agricultural Producers (KENFAP). In contributing to its identity, KENFAP equally changed its vision and mission statements. The federation has since focused on a long term strategic focus which has progressively changed from 2000, 2003 to the current 2008 strategic plan.
Vision
''Empowered Kenyan farmers with a strong voice''
Mission
"To empower its members to make informed choices for improved sustainable livelihoods". |
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