| """ |
| Kenya agricultural marketing knowledge base for RAG retrieval. |
| |
| ~25 knowledge chunks covering bimodal crop calendars, NCPB/KAMIS/county |
| institutions, post-harvest handling (aflatoxin, PICS, metal silos), |
| transport (A-roads vs feeder roads, Mombasa corridor), storage |
| (NCPB depots, CACs, warehouse receipts), and shocks (2022 Horn of |
| Africa drought, 2023-24 El Nino floods, IPC classifications). |
| |
| Used by the recommendation agent when REGION=kenya. Sibling to |
| knowledge_base.py (Tamil Nadu / India). Schema matches the India |
| module exactly: KnowledgeChunk dataclass with id/title/source/category/text. |
| """ |
|
|
| from __future__ import annotations |
|
|
| from src.rag.knowledge_base import KnowledgeChunk |
|
|
|
|
| KNOWLEDGE_CHUNKS: list[KnowledgeChunk] = [ |
|
|
| |
|
|
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "CC-001", "Maize Long Rains Calendar - Rift Valley and Western Kenya", |
| "MoALF Kenya Crop Production Guidelines 2023; FEWS NET Kenya Seasonal Monitor", |
| "crop_calendar", |
| "The Long Rains are Kenya's primary cropping season and produce roughly 70-80% of the national maize crop. " |
| "Land preparation begins Feb-Mar, planting Mar-May as rains establish, vegetative growth Apr-Jun, " |
| "and harvest Jul-Sep in most zones. Main producing counties: Trans-Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Nakuru, Narok, " |
| "Bungoma, Kakamega, Nyandarua. Rift Valley high-altitude zones (Trans-Nzoia, Uasin Gishu) harvest " |
| "latest (Sep-Nov) because of longer maturation at altitude. Wholesale maize price troughs typically " |
| "arrive Aug-Oct when Western and Rift Valley grain floods Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret, and Nakuru markets." |
| ), |
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "CC-002", "Maize Short Rains Calendar - Eastern and Coastal Kenya", |
| "MoALF Kenya Crop Production Guidelines 2023; KALRO Maize Agronomy Manual", |
| "crop_calendar", |
| "The Short Rains (Oct-Dec) are the secondary season and dominate Eastern, lower Central, and Coastal " |
| "Kenya, where a single unimodal rainy season is unreliable. Planting Oct-Nov, harvest Jan-Feb. " |
| "Key counties: Machakos, Makueni, Kitui, Embu, Tharaka-Nithi, Kilifi, Kwale. Short Rains maize is " |
| "far more vulnerable to dry spells -- the 2022 consecutive failure of five rainy seasons devastated " |
| "this region. Short Rains harvest pushes a secondary price trough in Feb-Mar in Machakos, Mwingi, " |
| "and Wote markets, though volumes are a fraction of the Long Rains crop." |
| ), |
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "CC-003", "Maize Moisture and Safe-Storage Thresholds", |
| "KALRO Post-Harvest Handbook; FAO Kenya Aflatoxin Mitigation Guide", |
| "crop_calendar", |
| "Maize at harvest is typically 18-25% moisture and must be dried to 13.5% or below before storage. " |
| "Above 13.5% moisture, Aspergillus flavus growth accelerates and aflatoxin contamination risk rises " |
| "sharply; above 18% grain may rot within weeks. Sun-drying on raised tarpaulins or drying cribs over " |
| "5-10 days is standard for smallholders; avoid drying on bare ground (soil contamination and re-wetting). " |
| "NCPB rejects deliveries above 13.5% moisture. Traders discount roughly KES 100-200 per 90kg bag for " |
| "each percentage point above 13.5%, and a heavily aflatoxin-positive lot may be unsellable entirely." |
| ), |
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "CC-004", "Bean Crop Calendar - Bimodal Smallholder Staple", |
| "KALRO Legumes Research Programme; MoALF Pulses Strategy 2020-2025", |
| "crop_calendar", |
| "Beans (Rosecoco, Mwitemania, Mwezi Moja, Wairimu) are grown in both rainy seasons on 75-90 day cycles, " |
| "shorter than maize, and are frequently intercropped with maize. Long Rains: plant Mar-Apr, harvest " |
| "Jun-Jul. Short Rains: plant Oct-Nov, harvest Jan-Feb. Main counties: Nakuru, Narok, Bomet, Kirinyaga, " |
| "Meru, Embu, Machakos. Beans are drought-sensitive at flowering (days 35-45); mid-season dry spells " |
| "routinely cut yields 30-50%. Post-harvest beans must be dried to <13% moisture; bruchid weevils are " |
| "the primary storage pest and destroy improperly-stored lots within 2-3 months." |
| ), |
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "CC-005", "Irish Potato Calendar - Nyandarua, Meru, and Nakuru", |
| "National Potato Council of Kenya; KALRO Tigoni", |
| "crop_calendar", |
| "Irish potato (Shangi, Dutch Robijn, Asante) is grown at 1,800-3,000m altitude on a 3-4 month cycle " |
| "tied to the rains. Long Rains planting Mar-Apr, harvest Jun-Aug. Short Rains planting Oct-Nov, " |
| "harvest Feb-Mar. Production is concentrated in Nyandarua (~40% of national output), Meru, Elgeyo " |
| "Marakwet, Nakuru, Bomet, and Bungoma. Shangi dominates (~80% of market) because it ripens quickly " |
| "and handles transport, but it has very short dormancy (2-3 weeks) -- farmers cannot hold crop, " |
| "which drives distress selling at harvest and extreme price swings. Nyandarua farm-gate prices have " |
| "swung from KES 800 to KES 3,500 per 110kg bag within a single season." |
| ), |
|
|
| |
|
|
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "MI-001", "NCPB - National Cereals and Produce Board", |
| "NCPB Annual Reports; MoALF Strategic Food Reserve Policy", |
| "market_institution", |
| "NCPB is Kenya's parastatal grain buyer of last resort and operator of the Strategic Food Reserve. " |
| "When activated by the Cabinet Secretary, NCPB offers a Guaranteed Minimum Return Price (GMRP) for " |
| "maize -- recent GMRP levels have ranged KES 3,000-5,200 per 90kg bag, well above distress-sale " |
| "farm-gate levels in surplus seasons. NCPB operates ~110 depots nationwide with concentration in " |
| "Rift Valley and Western counties. Payment delays of 30-90 days are common; smallholders need " |
| "registration, ID, and land documentation. Intake quality standards: <13.5% moisture, <3% foreign " |
| "matter, aflatoxin within codex limits. When GMRP is not activated, NCPB buys at market rates or not at all." |
| ), |
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "MI-002", "KAMIS - Kenya Agricultural Market Information System", |
| "KAMIS Portal; MoALF Market Information Unit", |
| "market_institution", |
| "KAMIS is the MoALF-run market information service (kamis.kilimo.go.ke) that publishes daily, weekly, " |
| "and monthly wholesale prices for 40+ commodities across 60+ markets nationwide. Coverage is strongest " |
| "for Nairobi (Wakulima, Kangemi, Gikomba), Mombasa (Kongowea), Eldoret, Kisumu (Kibuye), and Nakuru. " |
| "Daily prices reflect wholesale trades and typically sit 15-40% above farm-gate. KAMIS is the canonical " |
| "source for price reconciliation and for retrospective benchmark panels. Gaps: farm-gate prices are " |
| "not systematically collected, and rural market coverage thins outside the main trunk corridors." |
| ), |
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "MI-003", "County Governments Post-2013 Devolution", |
| "Constitution of Kenya 2010, Fourth Schedule; Kenya Devolution Working Paper (World Bank 2020)", |
| "market_institution", |
| "Agriculture is a devolved function under Kenya's 2010 Constitution -- each of the 47 counties runs " |
| "its own Department of Agriculture with budgets for extension, input subsidies (often fertilizer and " |
| "certified seed), market infrastructure, and cooperative support. Practical consequences for farmers: " |
| "input subsidy program eligibility, cooperative registration, and county market fees all vary by county. " |
| "Meru and Nyandarua run active potato-sector programs; Kakamega and Bungoma run maize-and-dairy extension; " |
| "ASAL counties (Kitui, Makueni, Turkana) focus on drought-tolerant sorghum and millet. National-level " |
| "MoALF still sets price-support policy (NCPB, GMRP) and runs KAMIS." |
| ), |
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "MI-004", "SACCOs and Cooperatives for Rural Finance and Aggregation", |
| "SASRA Annual Supervision Report; Co-operative Bank of Kenya Agri-SACCO Study", |
| "market_institution", |
| "SACCOs (Savings and Credit Cooperatives) are the backbone of Kenyan rural finance. Regulated by " |
| "SASRA, farmer SACCOs pool member savings, provide input credit (fertilizer, seed on 3-6 month terms), " |
| "and aggregate produce for bulk sale. Agricultural SACCOs are strongest in coffee (Mt. Kenya), dairy " |
| "(Rift Valley), and tea (Kericho, Nandi) zones; maize and bean cooperatives are weaker but growing. " |
| "Typical benefits of SACCO membership: input credit at 12-15% annual (vs. 25%+ from informal lenders), " |
| "shared transport to terminal markets, and access to NCPB delivery letters. Dormant and weak-governance " |
| "cooperatives are common -- farmers should verify SASRA registration before committing savings." |
| ), |
|
|
| |
|
|
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "PH-001", "Aflatoxin Risk in Kenya - Regions and History", |
| "Kenya Ministry of Health Aflatoxin Surveillance; Lewis et al. 2005 (2004 Machakos Outbreak)", |
| "post_harvest", |
| "Aflatoxin contamination is Kenya's most severe post-harvest food-safety risk, caused by Aspergillus " |
| "flavus on improperly-dried maize. The 2004 outbreak centered on Makueni and Machakos killed 125+ " |
| "people from acute aflatoxicosis -- still among the largest aflatoxin mortality events ever recorded. " |
| "High-risk zones: Eastern Kenya lower midlands (Machakos, Makueni, Kitui, Embu, Tharaka-Nithi) where " |
| "Short Rains harvests coincide with lingering humidity, and coastal Kenya (Kilifi, Kwale, Taita-Taveta) " |
| "year-round. Rift Valley Long Rains crops are lower-risk because harvest falls in the drier Jul-Sep " |
| "window. Aflasafe KE01 biocontrol is available through KALRO and reduces field contamination 80-90% " |
| "when applied 2-3 weeks before flowering." |
| ), |
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "PH-002", "PICS Bags - Hermetic Triple-Layer Storage", |
| "Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) Project; KENAFF Distribution Records", |
| "post_harvest", |
| "PICS (Purdue Improved Crop Storage) bags are triple-layer hermetic storage sacks -- two polyethylene " |
| "liners inside a woven polypropylene outer bag -- that suffocate storage pests (maize weevil, larger " |
| "grain borer, bruchid) within 10-14 days of sealing, without any chemicals. A 90kg PICS bag costs " |
| "KES 250-400 in Kenyan agrovet shops (2024-2025), reusable 2-3 seasons. Storage loss drops from " |
| "20-30% over 6 months (open-weave gunny bags + actellic dusting) to under 2% with PICS. Distribution " |
| "in Kenya runs through KENAFF (Kenya National Farmers' Federation), KALRO, and private agrovet chains " |
| "(Farmers Choice, Pwani, Amiran). Adoption is highest in Western Kenya and Rift Valley." |
| ), |
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "PH-003", "Metal Silo Program - CIMMYT, KALRO, EGSP", |
| "CIMMYT Effective Grain Storage Project (EGSP) 2008-2016; KALRO Post-Harvest Unit", |
| "post_harvest", |
| "Metal silos (galvanized sheet steel, 180-3,000kg capacity) are the premium on-farm storage option, " |
| "disseminated in Kenya through the CIMMYT-led Effective Grain Storage Project with KALRO and the " |
| "Ministry of Agriculture (2008-2016). A 900kg silo costs KES 18,000-30,000 through trained artisans " |
| "in Nakuru, Bungoma, and Embu. Storage losses drop to near zero over 12+ months. Economics work for " |
| "farmers with >10 bags to store who want to capture the Oct-trough to Mar-peak maize price cycle " |
| "(15-25% seasonal spread). Adoption remains limited by upfront cost; SACCOs and county agriculture " |
| "departments occasionally subsidize silos for smallholder cooperatives." |
| ), |
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "PH-004", "WFP and FAO Post-Harvest Programs (P4P and Successors)", |
| "WFP Kenya Country Strategic Plan; FAO Kenya Resilience Programme", |
| "post_harvest", |
| "WFP's Purchase for Progress (P4P, 2008-2014) demonstrated smallholder aggregation into WFP's Kenya " |
| "food-aid supply chain, sourcing maize and pulses from producer organizations at prices above farm-gate " |
| "in exchange for quality and volume commitments. P4P successors under WFP Country Strategic Plans " |
| "continue smallholder sourcing in Bungoma, Busia, Makueni, Kitui, and Trans-Nzoia. FAO's Kenya " |
| "Resilience and Food Systems programmes fund post-harvest training, hermetic storage subsidies, and " |
| "aflatoxin testing equipment at county level. Participating farmer groups typically see 20-30% price " |
| "uplift on the sold portion plus training in quality grading and moisture testing." |
| ), |
|
|
| |
|
|
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "TR-001", "Kenya Road Network - Classes A, B, C and Corridor Geography", |
| "Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA); Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA)", |
| "transport", |
| "Kenya's classified road network has roughly 161,000 km, of which only ~14,000 km is paved. " |
| "Class A roads are international trunk corridors (A1 Malaba-Kisumu-Kisii-Isebania west corridor and " |
| "A109 Nairobi-Mombasa, the Northern Corridor). Class B are national trunks linking regions. " |
| "Class C are primary feeder roads. Classes D and E are rural feeders, almost entirely unpaved and " |
| "often impassable in heavy rain. Almost all maize moves on paved A/B roads once aggregated, but the " |
| "first 5-50 km from farm to market centre is on D/E feeders -- this is where weather disruption, " |
| "broken bridges, and seasonal impassability hit smallholders hardest." |
| ), |
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "TR-002", "Transport Cost Deltas - Paved vs Unpaved", |
| "Kenya Transport Sector Study (World Bank 2022); KENHA Haulage Cost Schedules", |
| "transport", |
| "Typical truckage costs (2024) for maize and produce: Paved trunk road (A/B), 30-tonne truck: " |
| "KES 7-12 per tonne-km. Gravel/unpaved feeder road: KES 15-25 per tonne-km, sometimes higher in wet " |
| "season because of reduced load factors and longer transit time. Small-vehicle rates: pickup (1-2t) " |
| "KES 25-40 per tonne-km; matatu-sized 7t lorries KES 15-20 per tonne-km. Farmers selling 5-20 bags " |
| "typically cannot fill a full truck and pay a premium for shared or piecemeal transport. Concrete " |
| "example: Trans-Nzoia to Nairobi (~380 km paved trunk) runs ~KES 180-220 per 90kg bag on a full lorry; " |
| "the final 15 km from farm to Kitale collection point can cost another KES 40-80 per bag." |
| ), |
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "TR-003", "Aggregators, Brokers, and Farmer Transport Options", |
| "Tegemeo Institute Smallholder Market Access Study 2021", |
| "transport", |
| "Most Kenyan smallholders sell to itinerant middlemen (brokers, 'madalali') who bring lorries or " |
| "pickups to the farm gate or village market. Broker margins are typically 10-25% above farm-gate to " |
| "wholesale-market prices, reflecting risk, financing, and transport. Alternatives for farmers: " |
| "deliver to a county NCPB depot (requires registration and the depot being open for GMRP intake), " |
| "aggregate through a SACCO or cooperative for shared truckage, or use a matatu/boda-boda for very " |
| "small volumes to the nearest market centre. The smaller the volume, the weaker the farmer's " |
| "bargaining position -- sub-10-bag smallholders routinely accept 20-35% below the KAMIS wholesale " |
| "price reported for the nearest town." |
| ), |
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "TR-004", "Mombasa Port Bottlenecks and Seasonal Congestion", |
| "Kenya Ports Authority Performance Reports; Shippers Council of Eastern Africa", |
| "transport", |
| "The Nairobi-Mombasa A109 corridor is Kenya's transport spine. Mombasa Port handles imports for the " |
| "entire Northern Corridor (including landlocked Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, eastern DRC), which " |
| "competes with outbound agricultural freight for the same truck fleet. Peak congestion windows: " |
| "Nov-Jan (holiday consumer imports) and Mar-May (fertilizer and agro-input imports before Long Rains) " |
| "push per-tonne-km haulage rates up 15-30%. The 2023-24 El Nino floods cut the A109 at multiple " |
| "points (including the long-running Mtito Andei washout) and diverted freight for weeks. SGR " |
| "(Standard Gauge Railway) handles containerized freight but has limited relevance for bulk " |
| "agricultural produce moving on short domestic hops." |
| ), |
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "TR-005", "County Road Quality - Nyandarua Potato Case", |
| "Nyandarua County Integrated Development Plan; National Potato Council of Kenya", |
| "transport", |
| "Road quality varies dramatically by county and is a first-order determinant of farm-gate price. " |
| "Nyandarua -- Kenya's largest potato producer -- is notorious for poor feeder roads connecting " |
| "Kinangop, Ol Kalou, and Ndaragwa to the tarmac network. In the Mar-May Long Rains, Nyandarua feeder " |
| "roads become impassable for days at a time, trapping potato harvests at the farm and forcing distress " |
| "sales to brokers who own 4WD trucks at steep discounts. By contrast, Meru and Nakuru potato zones " |
| "have better C-class road coverage and farm-gate to wholesale price spreads are 15-20 percentage " |
| "points narrower. Farmers and aggregators in rain-affected counties should plan sales windows around " |
| "forecast dry spells." |
| ), |
|
|
| |
|
|
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "ST-001", "NCPB Depot Storage - Access, Fees, Capacity", |
| "NCPB Operations Manual; Kenya Grain Council Storage Directory", |
| "storage", |
| "NCPB operates ~110 depots with combined storage capacity around 2.0 million bags (180,000 MT) of " |
| "grain. Beyond buyer-of-last-resort procurement, NCPB also rents storage to traders and farmer " |
| "groups at KES 8-15 per 90kg bag per month (varies by depot and season). Access for smallholders " |
| "is mediated by registration requirements (national ID, KRA PIN, cooperative or group membership). " |
| "Major depots: Eldoret, Kitale, Bungoma, Nakuru, Meru, Nairobi Industrial Area. Smallholder " |
| "deposits have to meet intake quality standards (<13.5% moisture, clean). Warehouse-receipt-backed " |
| "lending against NCPB stock exists but is limited in practice." |
| ), |
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "ST-002", "Community Aggregation Centres (CACs)", |
| "AGRA Kenya Smallholder Aggregation Review; MoALF Cooperative Sub-Sector Report", |
| "storage", |
| "Community Aggregation Centres are smallholder-focused collection and short-term storage facilities, " |
| "typically county-government-built or AGRA/NGO-funded structures of 50-500 MT capacity. CACs allow " |
| "farmers to pool grain, share drying floors and moisture meters, and negotiate as a unit with traders " |
| "or with NCPB. Strongest CAC networks are in Bungoma, Busia, Trans-Nzoia, and Meru. Storage fees are " |
| "nominal (KES 5-10 per bag per month) but capacity is limited and governance is uneven -- some CACs " |
| "are effectively dormant. CAC membership typically provides the bridge smallholders need to access " |
| "the warehouse receipt system or direct NCPB delivery." |
| ), |
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "ST-003", "Warehouse Receipt System - KACE and WRC", |
| "Kenya Agricultural Commodity Exchange (KACE); Warehouse Receipt System Council Act 2019", |
| "storage", |
| "Kenya's Warehouse Receipt System, formalized under the Warehouse Receipt System Council Act 2019, " |
| "remains nascent relative to more mature counterparts (e.g., Zambia, Uganda). KACE (Kenya Agricultural " |
| "Commodity Exchange) pioneered receipt-based trading and price-discovery bulletin services, and a " |
| "small network of licensed warehouses issues negotiable receipts usable as loan collateral. Typical " |
| "all-in cost (storage + fumigation + receipt fees): KES 40-80 per 90kg bag per month. Pledge-loan " |
| "advance against receipt: 50-70% of market value at 12-15% annual. System is most functional for " |
| "maize in Rift Valley warehouses; coverage for pulses, sorghum, and perishables is thin." |
| ), |
|
|
| |
|
|
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "SH-001", "2020-2023 Horn of Africa Drought - Five Failed Rainy Seasons", |
| "FEWS NET Horn of Africa Special Report 2023; WFP VAM Kenya Drought Impact Assessment", |
| "shock", |
| "The 2020-2023 Horn of Africa drought was the longest and most severe drought in the region since " |
| "at least 1981, defined by five consecutive below-average rainy seasons (2020 Short Rains through " |
| "2022 Short Rains). In Kenya the ASAL counties -- Turkana, Marsabit, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, " |
| "Isiolo, Samburu, Tana River, Kitui, Makueni -- bore the brunt, with ~4.4 million people food-" |
| "insecure at the 2022 peak. Maize wholesale prices in affected northern and eastern markets " |
| "(Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Kitui, Marsabit) spiked 60-100% above five-year averages. Short Rains " |
| "2023 brought partial recovery but the humanitarian caseload remained elevated into 2024. The " |
| "drought is the signature shock in the first half of the LastMileBench Kenya benchmark window." |
| ), |
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "SH-002", "2023-24 El Nino Floods - October Onwards", |
| "Kenya Red Cross Situation Reports 2023-24; World Weather Attribution El Nino Kenya Analysis", |
| "shock", |
| "The Short Rains 2023 season (Oct-Dec) delivered an El Nino-driven above-average rainfall that " |
| "tipped into widespread flooding from late October 2023 through April 2024. Impacts: Tana River " |
| "overflow and dam spillover (Garsen, Tana Delta), landslide-driven road closures in Rift Valley " |
| "(Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot), inundated maize-harvest areas in lower Eastern Kenya just as Short " |
| "Rains crops were being brought in, and multiple cuts to the A109 Nairobi-Mombasa highway. More " |
| "than 300 deaths and 500,000 displaced at peak in April-May 2024. Maize transit times from " |
| "Trans-Nzoia and Uasin Gishu to Nairobi lengthened by 30-60% for weeks, widening producer-to-" |
| "wholesale spreads. This is the second signature shock in the LastMileBench Kenya benchmark window." |
| ), |
| KnowledgeChunk( |
| "SH-003", "IPC/FEWS NET Food Security Classifications for Kenya", |
| "IPC Global Partners; FEWS NET Kenya Food Security Outlook (https://fews.net/east-africa/kenya)", |
| "shock", |
| "FEWS NET and the IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) use a five-phase scale: " |
| "1-Minimal, 2-Stressed, 3-Crisis, 4-Emergency, 5-Famine. Kenya's ASAL counties have been chronically " |
| "in Phase 2 (Stressed) or Phase 3 (Crisis) since the mid-2000s, with brief escalations to Phase 4 " |
| "(Emergency) during acute drought peaks -- including much of 2022 across northern and eastern " |
| "counties. Agricultural high-potential zones (Rift Valley, Western, Central) typically sit in Phase 1. " |
| "FEWS NET publishes a Kenya Food Security Outlook every four months with updated county-level maps, " |
| "the canonical reference for cross-regional food-security context in the benchmark panel." |
| ), |
| ] |
|
|
| KNOWLEDGE_BASE = KNOWLEDGE_CHUNKS |
|
|
