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Kenyan farmers shift from wheat to barley amid rising prices
U.S. Department of Agriculture data cited by World Grain shows Kenya’s barley output rose 64.6% in 2024 and 19.8% in 2025 to a record 64,800 tonnes.
Kenyan farmers are increasingly switching from wheat to barley as stronger barley prices, higher wheat input costs, rigid wheat pricing, and import competition make barley a more attractive option, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited by World Grain.
The report says barley benefits from matching soil and climate needs in Kenya’s Narok-Nakuru-Meru belt, and it notes that rising regional demand has helped lift export prices, which has tightened supply for local buyers.
World Grain also points to Kenya’s production concentration in high altitude, cool-climate areas with volcanic soil and reliable rainfall.
After a severe weather-driven downturn in 2023 that left yields at 2.47 tonnes per hectare, the barley sector rebounded, with production up 64.6% in 2024 and another 19.8% in 2025, reaching a record 64,800 tonnes.
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