ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with spatial differentiation in relation to agricultural commercialization and in a regional context, namely the Kisumu District in Western Kenya. It analyses the impact of government policies on the Kisumu District's present spatial pattern of agricultural production organization and their effect on the living conditions of its population. In the case of Kenya, colonial agricultural policy in the period before the Second World War was primarily geared towards safeguarding the privileged position of the settler-farmers. In addition, the crucial importance of the agricultural sector as a source of foreign exchange was emphasized by the rising prices of oil. Prices of food crops for the domestic market were kept high, which resulted in favourable rural-urban terms of trade for the agricultural sector. Ecological conditions affect the productivity of the land resources and lead to a high degree of uncertainty about the effects of their use for agricultural activities.
