Who this is for
- Grade 9 candidates sitting KJSEA 2026 in Agriculture and Nutrition, and parents marking at home.
- KJSEA runs from Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026, with the rehearsal on Friday 23 October. The day of the Agriculture paper is on the official KJSEA and KPSEA 2026 calendar.
- Below are 10 original questions with worked answers and a mark for every point. Allow about 35 minutes.
Agriculture and Nutrition is one of the learning areas where a Grade 9 candidate can gain marks quickly in the last weeks, because most questions ask the learner to apply things they have already seen at home or in the school garden: why a farmer terraces a slope, how to keep vegetables from going bad, what a balanced plate looks like. Marks are lost less often through not knowing and more often through vague answers. "It is good for the soil" earns nothing; "it adds organic matter that holds water" earns the mark.
These are practice questions written by CBC Edu Kenya in the competency style of the Grade 7 to 9 design. They are not a KNEC paper and not a leaked paper.
What this set covers
| Area | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Soil and water conservation | 1, 4, 9 | 6 |
| Crop and animal production | 5, 6, 8 | 7 |
| Food and nutrition | 2, 3, 7, 10 | 9 |
| Total | 22 | |
KJSEA 2026 Agriculture and Nutrition sample questions
Grade 9 Agriculture and Nutrition practice · about 35 minutes · answer all questions
1. A farmer in Murang'a grows maize on a steep slope, and much of the topsoil is washed away each rainy season. Which practice would best reduce this?
A. Burning crop remains B. Making terraces across the slope C. Ploughing up and down the slope D. Removing all grass from the farm
2. A young child has swollen feet, thin hair and a swollen stomach. The child's diet is mainly porridge made from maize flour. Name the condition and the nutrient that is lacking. (2 marks)
3. Which of these foods is the best source of vitamin A?
A. Carrots B. Rice C. Sugar D. Cooking oil
4. Grade 9 learners are making a compost heap in the school garden. (a) Name two materials they can use. (b) Give one reason why the heap should be turned every few weeks. (3 marks)
5. A learner grew tomatoes in a school plot. She harvested 12 kg and sold 10 kg at KSH 80 per kg. Seeds, manure and spray cost KSH 350. Calculate (a) her income from sales and (b) her profit. (3 marks)
6. State two reasons why a rabbit hutch is raised above the ground. (2 marks)
7. (a) Name one method of preserving sukuma wiki at home. (b) Explain how the method stops the vegetable from going bad. (2 marks)
8. Kale plants in a kitchen garden are covered with small green insects that suck sap, and the leaves are curling. (a) Name the pest. (b) State one way of controlling it without buying chemicals. (2 marks)
9. Give two advantages of drip irrigation over watering with a can in a dry area. (2 marks)
10. Plan a balanced lunch for a Grade 9 learner using foods commonly found in Kenya. Name one food from each of four food groups and state what each provides. (4 marks)
Stop here until the time is up. The worked answers start below.
Worked answers and marking guide
1. B, terraces across the slope. Terraces break the slope into steps, so water slows down and soil settles instead of washing away. C is the classic wrong answer: ploughing up and down the slope makes channels that speed up erosion. (1 mark)
2. Kwashiorkor (1 mark); protein (1 mark). Maize porridge gives energy but very little protein. Swollen feet and stomach and thin, pale hair are the signs. Adding beans, milk, eggs or omena to the diet prevents it.
3. A, carrots. Orange and dark green vegetables are rich in vitamin A, which helps the eyes. Rice and sugar mainly give energy; oil gives fats. (1 mark)
4. (a) Any two for 1 mark each: crop remains, grass and leaves, kitchen peelings, animal manure, wood ash, topsoil. (b) Any one for 1 mark: to let in air for the organisms that break down the materials; to mix the materials so they rot evenly; to check that the heap is not too dry or too hot.
5. (a) Income = 10 × 80 = KSH 800 (1 mark). (b) Profit = 800 − 350 (1 mark) = KSH 450 (1 mark). The 2 kg not sold are not counted as income. Learners who multiply 12 by 80 lose the accuracy mark.
6. Any two, 1 mark each: keeps the rabbits away from damp, cold ground; protects them from predators such as dogs; makes cleaning easier because droppings fall through; allows air to move around the hutch.
7. (a) Drying in the sun or in a solar drier, or blanching then drying (1 mark). (b) Drying removes water, and the bacteria and moulds that spoil food cannot grow without water (1 mark).
8. (a) Aphids (1 mark). (b) Any one for 1 mark: spraying with soapy water or a homemade extract such as neem or chilli; removing and destroying badly affected leaves; encouraging ladybirds, which eat aphids.
9. Any two, 1 mark each: water goes straight to the roots, so less is wasted; less water is lost through evaporation; saves labour once set up; leaves stay dry, which reduces some diseases; fertiliser can be added through the water.
10. One mark for each correctly matched food and function, for example: ugali or rice, energy (carbohydrates); beans or ndengu, body building (proteins); sukuma wiki or managu, protection from disease (vitamins and minerals); an orange or a banana, vitamins. Cooking oil for fats is also accepted. Award no mark for a food named without its function.
Reading the score
The set is worth 22 marks. Eighteen or more is strong. If the losses are in Questions 4, 6, 7 and 9, the learner probably knows the ideas but writes one vague point where two clear ones are needed; practise answering out loud and counting the points against the marks. If Question 5 went wrong, it is usually reading the question, not arithmetic. Our guide to the Agriculture written paper covers the format in more detail.
Full Agriculture and Nutrition papers with answers
The KJSEA Grade 9 Complete Revision Course includes full Agriculture and Nutrition notes for Grades 7 to 9, predictive papers and a separate answer booklet, with the same for all nine KJSEA learning areas. It is KSH 400, downloaded straight after M-Pesa payment. There is also an Agriculture and Nutrition course on its own.
Frequently asked questions
When does KJSEA 2026 start?
Monday 26 October 2026, with English as the first paper. It ends on Friday 30 October, and the rehearsal is on Friday 23 October. See the official calendar for every paper.
My child has no garden at home. Can they still do well?
Yes. The written paper tests understanding and application. Talking through the questions above, using examples from the market or the school farm, works just as well.
Are these questions from KNEC?
No. They are original practice questions in the same style. No one can honestly sell the real paper before the exam.
Grade 9 KJSEA Complete Revision Course
All 9 learning areas in one download: notes, worked examples, topical questions and full marking schemes. Rebuilt for the 26 to 30 October assessment.
⏳ Only 22 days to the national assessments on 26 October. Start now.
KSH 400 · Get it now → 📱 M-Pesa, instant download · join parents preparing nowHave a CBC question this article didn't answer?
Ask Somo, Kenya's first AI tutor. CBC-grounded, Kenyan examples, instant feedback. Five free questions a day with no signup, or start a 7-day free trial for 30 questions a day.
Try Somo Free →