Following independence, the government launched the Million Acre Scheme to resettle landless Kenyans on land formerly owned by European settlers, transforming land tenure and agricultural production.

The Kenya Tea Development Authority (KTDA) was formed to manage the smallholder tea sub-sector. It became a global model for successful smallholder agriculture.

The 1970s and 80s saw a massive boom in agricultural cooperative societies, helping farmers process, market, and export their produce collectively, especially coffee and dairy.