Foreign Direct Investment and Its Effect on Agricultural Productivity Kenya

Abstract

Kenya has historically been one of Africa's top destinations for foreign direct investment. Foreign direct investment is critical for Kenya's agricultural sector, offering capital, technology transfer, and skill development that enhance productivity and economic growth. Despite agriculture being a primary economic driver, challenges such as limited capital, outdated farming techniques, and insufficient infrastructure continue to hinder growth. The research explores the contribution of foreign direct investment on agricultural productivity in Kenya as well as to assess the effect of foreign direct investment on the productivity levels of small-scale and large-scale farmers in Kenya for a period 1993 to 2022. Neoclassical growth theory, Endogenous theory were key in guiding the study. This study adapted the causal research design employing time series data from World Bank spanning from years 1993 to 2022. Data was analyzed the data both descriptively and by inferential statistics. The findings of correlational analysis revealed a moderate positive relationships (r= 0.3213) between Foreign direct investment and agricultural productivity. Multiple regression analysis confirmed the significant positive effect of foreign direct investment on agricultural productivity with a coefficient of 0.3661 and p value 0.0014<0.05. This signifies that, in the short term, a 1% increase in foreign direct investment results in a 36.61% rise in the growth of Agricultural productivity, assuming all other variables remain constant. The findings implied that foreign direct investment inflow has the ability to create employment, technological development and improve access to international markets playing a pivotal role in accelerating the agricultural productivity. The Kenyan government should have more effective foreign direct investment strategies to facilitate technology transfer agreements between foreign investors and local agricultural enterprises, additionally, the government should pursue macroeconomic policies that attract foreign direct investment by providing an investor-friendly environment.