total: 580,367 sq km land: 569,140 sq km water: 11,227 sq km

Population: 41,070,934 (July 2011 est.) Life expectancy at birth: 45 Urban population: 21% Agricultural population(1000s): 23 837 Number of people undernourished (millions): 11 Proportion of undernourished in population: 32%

Kenya is the regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa. In 1997, the IMF suspended Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program due to the government's failure to maintain reforms and curb corruption. The IMF, which had resumed loans in 2000 to help Kenya through a drought, again halted lending in 2001 when the government failed to institute several anticorruption measures. After some early progress in rooting out corruption and encouraging donor support, the KIBAKI (elected 2002) government was rocked by high-level graft scandals in 2005 and 2006. In 2006, the World Bank and IMF delayed loans pending action by the government on corruption. The international financial institutions and donors have since resumed lending, despite little action on the government's part to deal with corruption. Post-election violence in early 2008, coupled with the effects of the global financial crisis on remittance and exports, reduced GDP growth to 1.7 in 2008, but the economy rebounded in 2009-10.

GDP (purchasing power parity): $65.95 billion (2010 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $32.42 billion (2010 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2010 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,600 (2010 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 22% industry: 16% services: 62% (2010 est.) Labor force: 17.94 million (2010 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 75% industry and services: 25% (2007 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.2% (2010 est.)

Economic Agriculture as % of Gross Domestic Product: 27% Value of agricultural exports (US$ millions): 1 296 Share of agricultural exports (% of total exports): 48.29% Value of agricultural imports (US$ millions): 483 Share of agricultural imports (% of total imports): 10.61% Production Cereals (1000 tonnes): 2 730 Meat (1000 tonnes): 497 Fish (1000 tonnes): 136 Woodfuel (1000 m): 20 370 Industrial roundwood (1000 m): 1 792

Climate: varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior Terrain: low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west Land use: arable land: 8.01% permanent crops: 0.97% other: 91.02% (2005) Irrigated land: 1,030 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 30.2 cu km (1990) Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): total: 1.58 cu km/yr (30%/6%/64%) per capita: 46 cu m/yr (2000) Natural hazards: recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons

Agriculture - products: tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs Exports - commodities: tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement Approximately 70 percent of the population depend on agricultural livelihoods In recent years, frequent and severe shocks to production systems including floods and droughts have had serious impacts in semi-nomadic areas. Post-election violence in 2008 forced hundreds of thousands of farmers and pastoralists to abandon their homes, fields and production assets in the Rift Valley province. This area is the grain basket of Kenya, producing 70 percent of the staple maize crop. Source: FAO, http://www.fao.org/countries/55528/en/ken/

The Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa The central highlands lie between Nairobi and the slopes of Mt Kenya Rainfall is bimodal and averages from 1,300 to 1,800 millimeters per year. There are two cropping seasons, with the long rain season starting from mid-March through July and the short rain season from mid-October through December. Most of the area is covered by clay soils except for a small area that is covered by loam soils. The soils are deep and well drained and are of good fertility. The average annual maximum temperature is as low as 20C in the upper portions of the districts. )

The TeaDairy Zone is located at higher elevations with precipitation rates of 1,800 millimeters per year, a very long cropping season, and good yield potential. The CoffeeTea Zone at a slightly lower altitude has an average annual rainfallof 1,400 to 1,800 millimeters with a long cropping season and a medium-length cropping season. The Main Coffee Zone has a medium and a short to medium cropping season with an average rainfall of 1,200 to 1,500 millimeters. Finally, the Marginal Coffee Zone is at the lowest altitude of the districts and has a medium to short and a short cropping season and an annual average rainfall of 1,000 to 1,250millimeters. Most roads are dirt and are generally of good quality but, because of their high clay content, can become problematic during the rainy season. Piped water is not uncommon in the districts, but telephone and electricity are generally not available in the rural areas. Source: Agricultural Enterprise and Land Management in the Highlands of Kenya/Frank Place, Jemimah Njuki, Festus Murithi, and Fridah Mugo (http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/pubs/pubs/books/oc53/oc53ch08.pdf