Only 20% of Kenya’s soil is ideal for food production, according to a recent assessment, suggesting that the country’s food basket may face challenging times.
Kenya’s soil is severely degraded, with water-induced erosion causing the country to lose 26 tons of soil per hectare annually, with certain regions losing more than 90 tons, according to the Soil Atlas Health Report 2025.
A key resource that affects food and nutritional security is soil. Because soils store more carbon than vegetation and the atmosphere combined, research indicates that they are also essential in the fight against climate change. Through their roots, plants store carbon in soil after absorbing it from the atmosphere.
The paper claims that the situation is worse in East Africa, where more than 40% of the soils are degraded, endangering the resilience and agricultural base of the region.
This issue is fueled by both natural and human-caused factors. Deforestation, overgrazing, unsustainable farming methods, and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns all contribute to the degradation of soil quality.
The issue is made worse by overgrazing, which eliminates vegetation that shields the soil, particularly in arid regions. The soil’s capacity to absorb water and support plant life is diminished in the absence of this layer, making it susceptible to erosion and compaction.
Salinization, or the accumulation of salts in the soil, exacerbates the issue of soil degradation in Kenya. This is especially true in arid and semi-arid areas, where inadequate irrigation techniques—like using water of poor quality—exacerbate the problem. Salts are left behind as water evaporates, and they eventually build up to dangerous concentrations. Waterlogging and high evaporation rates exacerbate the issue as well.
More than 85% of Kenyan and regional soils are nutrient-deficient, according to the report, which also highlighted nutrient depletion as a problem for soil health. “The issue has gotten worse due to poor management practices, rising soil acidity, and continuous farming without replenishment.”
The report’s alarming findings included the estimation that 30% less agricultural output will result from deteriorated soils, increasing reliance on imports. This comes after another National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) report found that, due to the impending below-normal lengthy rains, an estimated 2.8 million people could experience acute food insecurity between April and June 2026.
The assessment, which evaluated 23 Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) counties, found that the number of individuals in need of immediate humanitarian assistance has increased from 2.15 million to 650,000, according to NDMA.
Children aged six months to six years and nursing mothers in these areas are most at risk of experiencing acute malnutrition out of the millions impacted.
