FIVE: Promoting climate-resilient agriculture in Kenya
For farmers in Eastern Kenya, depressed rainfall and drought presents a constant threat to their livelihoods. Without the ability to respond to unexpected changes in climate, farmers are effectively excluded from the market. Between 2014-17 we partnered with Farm Concern International to work with over 6,000 smallholder farmers in the region to respond more proactively to their changing environment.
Smallholder farmers participating in the FIVE project work their land in Kanzui, Eastern Kenya.
Credit: Traidcraft Exchange/Khadija Farah
Farmers organised into village-level groups, focusing on better business practice and working together in marketing ‘clusters’, and undertook training on sustainable agricultural techniques. As a result, they saw a 34% increase in sales of their key crops with 44% of participating farmers reporting a 50% increase in their household incomes.
At the project’s end, Traidcraft Exchange launched a new project with Farm Concern International with 2,000 more smallholder farmers in central Kenya.
Project name: FIVE (Flourishing in Vulnerable Environments)
Where did we work? Eastern Kenya; sub-counties of Migwani (Mwingi West), Mwingi Central and Mbeere South
How long for? October 2014 - September 2017 (3 years)
Who benefited? 30,000 people from 6,000 farming households (59% women and 30% youth)
Project aims:
To equip farmers with the skills and knowledge they need to improve business performance, negotiate with buyers, increase their incomes, and lobby for better support from public and private services
To improve farmers’ agricultural skills and knowledge and link them to appropriate inputs and services, enabling them to produce better-quality crops in larger quantities
To improve farmers’ access to reliable and competitive markets for their produce, enabling them to sell more and at better prices
Who did we work with?
We worked in partnership with Farm Concern International and Christian Aid, with funding from Big Lottery Fund.
For more information about this project, please contact programmes@transform-trade.org
To learn more about our climate resilient agriculture work with smallholder farmers in Kenya, please have a read of our Programme Briefing.