Kenya - Marketing and Development (full version)

With the EPOPA programme initiated by SIDA (Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency) being fairly successful in Uganda and Tanzania the question was asked why such an activity was not taking place in Kenya, a country with an older history in and large potential for organic farming.
Early attempts to obtain funding from SIDA had failed as at that time it had reduced its budget for Kenya, also for its private sector development activities. An opportunity came when Hivos, the development division of the Dutch Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation expressed interest in supporting EPOPA type activities but not as a stand alone, it should from the beginning be built into the national movement. Such chance came when in early 2004 the many Kenyan organic stakeholders decided to form the Kenyan Organic Agriculture Network. KOAN works on 5 thematic areas: Advocacy & Lobbying, Standards & Certification, Production, Marketing and Training. In May 2004 Agro Eco expressed its interest to assist KOAN in developing marketing activities and a first Action Plan was developed.

The marketing unit is called the Organic Marketing Assistance Programme, OMAP. Its focus is on groups of smallholder farmers, outgrowers and wild harvesters. Commercial farmers and large companies are served by others in Kenya (see below). OMAP works both on the local and on the export market.

2005 was spent mapping the situation in Kenya, drawing up a strategy for development, starting with the first general activities, applying to donors to finance the range of activities needed. In 2006 information about organic marketing is made available to those who are interested through workshops, documenting this in what are to become manuals. Secondly a few commercial initiatives with a high potential are assisted in depth, through regular visits and on the ground assistance in trainings on group dynamics, production planning, organic agriculture techniques, business management. However, trainings to farmers should in the future be given by the existing service providers, NGOs supporting the farmers; the field officers directly. There is a lot of training on organic farming in Kenya, there are a lot of organic farmers but there is little Organic Production For The Market. Curricula for that are being developed.

These marketing activities take place under a plan of work and budget separate from KOAN’s other activities. There is close cooperation though with others in KOAN like in consumer awareness raising, preparing the farmers for group certification and production planning training which fall under the other thematic areas.
Examples of recently opened organic outlets are Bridges Organic Health Restaurant in downtown Nairobi and the Green Dreams organic shop. The Kenyan Institute of Organic Farming, KIOF has started the Juja Organic Market for both retail and wholesale. It is expected that soon more outlets will be opened once the supply from the farmer groups comes on steam.

Bo van Elzakker (Agro Eco) visits OMAP one week every quarter year. He acts as a general resource person regarding management and technical and marketing know how. In case additional funding is found, the assistance of Agro Eco is to be extended.

In Kenya, free lance consultancies are offered by Susie Wren, organic@africaonline.co.ke and since recently also by Tom Deiters, deiters@africaecology.com. The plan is to further develop some sort of association.

Contact:
Bo van Elzakker
Susie Wren
Tom Deiters