Institute of Development Studies

The reduction of absolute poverty has become a central goal of the international community including the governments of many developing countries. However, the appropriate strategy for achieving pro-poor growth in any given country remains an open question. In sub-Saharan Africa, the promotion of export horticulture has often been proposed as a pro-poor development strategy due to its intensive use of land and unskilled labour. However, few studies have examined the linkage between export horticulture and poverty reduction. This paper reports the results of a household survey in Kenya undertaken explicitly to compare the incomes of households involved in export horticulture with those which are not. We find evidence that households involved in export horticulture are better off than those which are not, particularly in rural areas. A simulation exercise shows that enabling more households to participate in the sector could reduce poverty substantially in both urban and rural areas. However, analysis of the determinants of participation in export horticulture suggests that some households may face important constraints to participation in the sector.