The implementation of the Participatory Market Chain Approach (PMCA) methodology has demonstrated immense potential in revolutionizing the organic industry throughout Kenya. During the trial period implemented in the COVID-19 pandemic years (2020-2022), a lot happened and much more was started. Among these notable achievements, was the establishment and growth of the Kangari Organic Farmers Markets (KOFAM) and the Gatanga Organic Farmers Market (GOFAM).
Due to the imposed travel restrictions, organic products that were primarily destined for the Nairobi market faced significant challenges in reaching their consumers. Consequently, farmers began exploring local markets as an alternative solution. Initially, the idea of establishing a grocery shop in Kangari was considered, but based on past experiences regarding the management and upkeep of such ventures, it was discarded. Instead, the public market emerged as a favorable platform for selling organic products. Our collaboration with the farmers involved identifying business opportunities and refining them with the 5Ps of marketing (Product, Place, Price, Promotion, and Packaging).
Recognizing the importance of branding, the farmers made efforts to establish their unique presence within the market. They also engaged in negotiations with the County government to secure a dedicated space within the market premises where organic farmers could showcase and sell their products within specific timeframes. Furthermore, the farmers donned distinctive dustcoats and other branded attire, generating additional interest and driving sales. Today, the Kangari market operates successfully, displaying a sense of independence and witnessing ongoing growth. Our role as KOAN primarily involves supporting the Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) associated with the market.
Further accomplishments, which will be discussed in subsequent communique, including the development of herbs and spices dryer, the introduction of KOFAM and GOFAM herbs products, and the establishment of the Kenya Organic Avocado brand.
https://www.koan.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Avocado-scaled.jpg17072560Adminhttps://www.koan.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/koan-LOGO.pngAdmin2023-01-18 12:19:522025-05-22 16:56:07Actualizing the Participatory Market Chain Approach (PMCA) methodology
PROVISION OF SERVICES FOR CONDUCTING A KOAN ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY ASSESSMENT AND RECOMMENDING A STRATEGY TO TRANSITION KOAN TO BECOME AN EFFICIENT SERVICE DELIVERY ORGANIZATION
Deadline : NOVEMBER 30 2022 (EXTENDED FROM NOV 5 2022)
Applications should be sent to info@koan.co.ke
For any inquiries call 0728 772 805 | 0731 772 805
TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR CONDUCTING A KOAN ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY ASSESSMENT AND RECOMMENDING A STRATEGY TO TRANSITION KOAN TO BECOME AN EFFICIENT SERVICE DELIVERY ORGANIZATION
1. Background
KOAN, the Kenya Organic Agriculture Network, is a network that brings together stakeholders in the organic space. Founded in 2005, KOAN has been coordinating the organic sector in Kenya. It has been promoting organic agriculture through communication and trade facilitation. The latter is mainly by training and linking farmers to markets – both domestic and international – and also by linking business development service providers such as input suppliers and certification bodies to the organic operators. The organization has been instrumental in the development and implementation of the East Africa Organic Products Standards (EAOPS), and the related East Africa Organic Mark – the Kilimo Hai Brand. KOAN has also worked closely at the national level to advocate for pro-organic agriculture policies.
KOAN Vision: A vibrant Ecological Organic Agriculture sector for healthy and resilient communities and environments.
KOAN Mission: To coordinate and create public exposure of the National Ecological Organic
Agriculture sector, promoting its contribution to economic, environmental, and social benefits.
Context of the Assessment
KOAN has registered under the companies act as a company limited by guarantee as a non-profit organization. Since its inception, KOAN has been operating as an NGO mainly implementing donor-funded projects aligned to its mission and vision. With the growth of the sector and with more players joining in, the expectations and demands of members and other stakeholders on KOAN have increased. At the same time, KOAN wishes to develop its assets and opportunities and to become less dependent on donor-funded projects with its own sustainable business.
For KOAN to live up to its mandate and to continue even more being relevant to its members and stakeholders, it wants to develop the quality and nature of its services. KOAN intends to start with a new strategic approach and develop its capacity. It is against this background that an organizational capacity assessment is proposed to help a KOAN transition. Various models have worked elsewhere in the organic agriculture sector. One example that has been proposed is the Bio Suisse model which strongly keeps the Kenyan context in mind. Bio Suisse is an organic sector organization in Switzerland just like KOAN. They offer services to their farming members, their license keepers, the organic food processing and trade companies, as well as to the sector as a whole.
KOAN has the support of FiBL, the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, to facilitate the identification of key lessons and the drivers for the success of other successful organic umbrella organizations, which can be adapted by taking into consideration the Kenyan context. FiBL will also backstop the KOAN management in taking its decision. It will closely work together with the consultant in the detailed planning of the consultant’s assignment, in the undertaking of the organizational capacity assessment (OCA), and particularly in the plan development. While KOAN formally contracts the consultant and takes the decisions, FiBL will supervise the consultant on the content level and be a discussion partner that provides support and guidance for each step.
The OCA will evaluate the current KOAN structures, and the skills of staff, board, and other KOAN organs to determine opportunities, gaps, and areas of improvement. The assessment will also take into consideration members’ and stakeholders’ needs, and expectations and recommend how KOAN can address them and the limitations thereof. The aim is to strengthen KOAN to be an efficient and resilient organization with sustainable impacts.
Objectives of the Assessment
The overall objective of the exercise is that KOAN is able to transition its operations. It wants to grow, be more relevant in the organic market, and be more independent from donor projects. For that purpose, it wants to become more service-oriented to members, and other sector stakeholders. The OCA accompanies that development with specific, well-defined recommendations from the consultant together with FIBL. The developed reports, recommendations and plans will guide the transition strategy of the board and management of KOAN.
Specific objectives are:
To assess members, sectorial, and stakeholders’ needs, expectations, and requirements for the Kenya Organic Agriculture Sector growth
To assess KOAN’s organizational and staff’s, board members’ individual capacities to develop the institution and to implement the future work plan
To develop an implementation plan, which should include recommended activities, budget, indicators to measure progress, and suggested sequence of execution. Key focus areas of the OCA are governance (vision, oversight, resourcing); senior leadership (board- management linkage); strategy; and operational systems and processes. The OCA development and particularly the implementation plan is closely consulted with the KOAN management and the FiBL advisor.
Identify opportunities where investment in capacity building will drive organizational change to efficiently deliver services.
Results of the Assessment
The consultant designs and delivers the OCA report in close collaboration with FiBL including a) the capacity assessment, b) the strategic proposals and c) the implementation plan.
The strategic proposal and the implementation plan are developed based on findings from the capacity assessment in collaboration with FiBL. They provide a clear pathway to achieving expected results including the required resources (including financial, human resources, and others)
The OCA report and the implementation plan assess members’, individuals’, organizations’, and where appropriate, sector’s capacity.
Key Deliverables
An inception report, which includes the consultant’s work plan, detailed methodology, report format, and proposed timeline.
Presentation and validation of a draft OCA report and suggested implementation plan in a
Workshop with KOAN members, board, management and staff, and other KOAN invitees.
Presentation of the final report to the organic sector after approval of the report by the
KOAN management.
Scope of Work
Assessment (KOAN Members, – board, staff, farmers Stakeholders in representative areas of the country, representative sample of organic entrepreneurs, regulators, Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and local and international partners of KOAN).
Sector context and analysis.
Assess the drivers and constraints which may explain present performance or be a threat to future capacity growth- including mitigation measures.
Assess internal elements of the organization, including leadership, current strategy, structures, human resource management, and internal controls.
Assess change readiness and identify potential or present change inertia factors.
Develop change strategy and change management aspects.
Review available government/international donor resources and connections including reports
Ongoing consultation with stakeholders in the course of executing the growth plan.
Overall Approach
The assignment and recommendation should be approached in such a way that they facilitate ownership and drive the final growth plan so that results are sustained. It should be participatory and consultative.
Self-assessment and consultative methodologies should be incorporated into the assignment not only to improve the range of information collected but also to improve ownership and drive the implementation plan
Roles and Responsibilities
KOAN Board, Management, and FiBL Backstoper
Will commit time to this exercise and are ready to support the OCA with ideas
Facilitate introductions and connections to key stakeholders for the consultant as necessary
Facilitate focus group and individual interviews
Grant access to necessary organizational documents
Reflect and provide feedback on the ideas of the consultant
Consultant
Interested consultants submit a proposal on their intended work including their interpretation of the assignment, their proposed methodology, their work plan, and their financial offer (max 3 pages plus CV)
We expect that the consultant works according to these TOR, the proposal, and the inception report that state clear reporting deadlines for the various stages of the assignment. We expect to meet agreed deadlines for deliverables
We expect a timely request for documents and needed logistical support and we expect timely notification for workshops/group discussions and of required participants
We expect a consultant’s involvement of about 10 working days over a period of 2 months
Overall Organization of the Assessment
We organize the assessment process as follows:
Advertisement for Consultants and submission of applications by 31 October 2022.
Selection of the consultant by 4 November 2022 considering the best value for the price, while we keep a priority on quality.
Signing of contract with the Consultant. The contract will include details of the emolument and communication protocol.
The Consultant submits a draft inception report that is agreed with FIBL with the detailed work plan and assessment methodology to the KOAN-management.
KOAN management provides comments and approves the final version of the inception report
The Consultant will execute the assignment as per the agreed work plan starting on 10
November. Necessary revisions to the plan will be communicated and agreed upon in writing. This communication will follow the same protocol as above- when the original plan was approved.
A draft report that is agreed with FiBL is presented to KOAN for validation and feedback
The final report is presented as stated above in a workshop.
https://www.koan.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/EOI-e1590493562419.jpg75100Adminhttps://www.koan.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/koan-LOGO.pngAdmin2022-10-12 09:47:522025-05-22 16:57:37CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST PROVISION OF SERVICES FOR CONDUCTING AN ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY ASSESSMENT
The Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN) together with its partners will be hosting a first of kind organic industry business event on Thursday, 3rd December 2020 (9.00am) via Zoom platform . The Organic industry is the fastest growing subsector in agriculture globally, trading billions of dollars’ worth of products annually. This global trend is gaining pace in Kenya with people seeking healthy food amidst the Covid19 pandemic and food safety lapses in local food supply come to light. A burgeoning middleclass is fast becoming picky with food and export markets are becoming increasingly critical on sustainability, carbon emissions and pesticide residues.
The Kenya Organic Agriculture Network has been an industry leader making meaningful business linkages within the organic space. KOAN has assisted notable companies with strategic and much needed advisory and farmer linkage services that have led to millions of dollars’ worth of trade both locally and for export to date. In a bid to rapidly expand the organic space, KOAN has partnered up with the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), the Research Institute for Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Africrops Limited, the Organic Agriculture Centre of Kenya (OACK) among other organizations to foster organic market development by focusing on both the domestic and export market.
The Organic Business Summit is an invite only event to present an organic sector survey implemented in Kenya during 2020, and to move ahead in jointly exploring organic business opportunities for the local and export market particularly focusing on organic products originating from Murang’a County. The County has some of the most pristine and prime land with the highest number of organic farmers in Kenya supplying fresh fruits and vegetables. The county has great potential for both local and export markets.
Latest date to sign up for the event is 27th November 2020.
https://www.koan.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/000_6774-scaled.jpg17082560Adminhttps://www.koan.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/koan-LOGO.pngAdmin2020-11-12 12:52:352025-06-25 14:27:02Organic Business Summit: Developing Partnerships for New Business Opportunities
The Organic Agriculture industry is full of Opportunities, but information about how to access these opportunities has not always been straightforward, particularly in Kenya. Organic Certification seems to be a grey area in terms of available information. This article is for
A person looking for ways to certify their farms as organic
A person looking for ways to get their produce to market and need certification.
A person looking for general information on organic certification.
If you fall in one or more of the above categories then you’re in luck. The information has been packaged with you in mind.
Third Party Certification:
In this case, the certifier who is a certification company checks the system of production, handling and processing against the organic standards and once he confirms that the system conforms with the organic standards, he issues a certificate and allows the farmer to use an organic mark. The farmer in this case can therefore sell his or her products with an organic mark in the market. Where a farmer or a group of farmers are selling their products in the international market, it is mandatory to go through this type of certification due to the statutory requirements in destination countries such as European Union, United States and Japan.
Third party certification is normally expensive since it is conducted by companies which have profit motives. In some case, where a farmer wants to sell their products in overseas markets, the companies accredited to undertake certification for such markets are from those countries. This means certification by these international companies where they sometimes bring in inspectors from those countries is expensive. In Kenya, there are several international certification companies that do operate. They include ECOCERT, IMO, Soil Association, Control Union, Ceres, Ugocert and Africert.
Where third party certification is being done for domestic or regional markets, local certification companies undertake certification using the East African Organic products standard(EAOPS). These companies are much cheaper than the international companies since they work with local staff. Once they complete the certification process, the farmer is allowed to use the organic mark (Kilimohai mark). The local companies that undertake certification include Organic consumers alliance, Acert, Encert and Nesvax Control.
Participatory Guarantee Approach (PGS):
Where farmers are selling their products in the domestic market, and within a short supply chain, this approach can be used. PGS is a transparent and well elaborate system that integrates participation of all actors in the chain to guarantee integrity of organic products and compliance with organic standards. PGS systems includes a functioning internal control system integrated with the principles of shared vision, transparency, trust, horizontality, participatory and learning among participants. PGS is cheaper compared to third party certification and well is suited for smallholder groups who sell their products locally or in farmers markets. To develop a PGS, farmers need to develop internal rules and clear management systems and procedures which comply with East Africa Organic Product Standards. They also need develop a mechanism of verifying compliance of every member with the internal rules and defined consequences for non compliance with internal rules which are implemented. Every member of the group should take a pledge to follow the rules and participate in the activities of the group including trainings.
Groups willing to develop a PGS system can contact Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN) for training. KOAN is also in charge of assessing and approving PGSses which have been developed. Currently there are 3 groups which have approved PGSses and are participating in the market.
For a farmer to be certified or to be in an approved guarantee system, it is required that the farmer:
Has adequate physical separation of his or her organic operation from non-organic operation;
Has adequate records to demonstrate compliance with the standards;
His/her farm is inspected/peer reviewed at least once per year;
Undergoes a conversion period before full organic status
Certification system also requires that:
The farmer knows and understands the organic standards;
Signs a contract or takes a pledge;
Needs to be committed to, and capable of, implementing an organic agriculture system;
Establish records of his operation;
Accepts inspection/peer review and certification procedures.
Contacts for local certification bodies:
Name of Organisation: Organic Consumers Alliance Contact Person: Dr. Peter Mokaya Address:14360-00100 GPO Nairobi Telephone: +254722435758 Email: mokayapm@gmail.com Website: Http;//www.organicconsumers.co.ke
https://www.koan.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/koan-LOGO.png00Martin Njorogehttps://www.koan.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/koan-LOGO.pngMartin Njoroge2020-08-03 12:26:502020-12-07 15:37:55Much Ado About Organic/ Organic Certification at a SnapShot
Organic agriculture has the potential to generate significant incomes for households, thus potentially uplifting smallholder-farming households from poverty cycles and food/nutrition insecurity. Through various interventions, the number or farmer and land under organic cultivation has been constantly growing in Kenya. With land under organic cultivation increasing from 4,894 hectares in 2016 [1] to 172, 225 hectares under organic in 2019[2], the writing on the wall is clear, organic is the future of sustainable farming.
The commercial appeal of organic farming has led to a rising number of entrepreneurs eager to rake in the money, caution should be exercised, organic farming should not be viewed as a purely commercial interest, in fact most successful organic farmers started off as subsistence farmers growing only for their own consumption. Through initial struggles to get their processes and practices right, they eventually saw the business opportunity in supplying others with such products. They were able to persevere through the initial disappointments and change in mind-set required to transition into organic. They were able to understand their own farms and create harmonious balance. Any seasoned organic farmer will tell you, no two farms are alike; each has its own set of challenges and character, much like human beings.
[1]FIBl and IFOAM, The World of Organic Agriculture, The World of Organic Agriculture, 2016 <https://doi.org/10.4324/9781849775991>. [2] FiBL and IFOAM, The World of Organic Agriculture, ed. by Helga Willer and Julia Lernoud, The World of Organic Agriculture Statistic and Emerging Trends 2019, 2019 <https://doi.org/10.4324/9781849775991>.
For the few out of the many who successfully convert to organic production systems, commercialization of their agribusiness endeavors, pose considerable challenges. Without formal organic market access, most farmers are resigned to selling their produce to undifferentiated conventional markets, where premiums for organic produce are lost. Many organic farmer actually regress back to conventional farming habits due to lack of market access.
This is a paradox, many retailers would like to have organic produce as part of their grocery portfolio, but find it hard to source. The needs is there but there is a mismatch in capacity to fulfill those needs. On closer observation of the problem, the following is clear.
Retailers are looking for organic produce to sell, the produce has to be of specific quality standards, and not just anything will go. The visual appeal has to be of equal or greater quality than conventional produce. They will be competing for the consumers’ attention and nobody wants to pay a premium for poor quality products. Yes, consumers can be fickle, even organic consumers.
Consistent supply capacity has to be proven before a retailer takes the risk of opening up a new line of organic products. For retailers, especially big supermarkets, a new product line is a big investment. It involves the physical set up, the capacity building of staff ( all staff need to be sensitized on what is organic, nothing puts off a consumer faster than retail staff who don’t know what they are talking about), the branding and marketing. Going organic is as much a strategic choice for retailers as is the physical positioning of beverages and snack items. They are always looking for crowd pullers and with the increasing focus on healthy foods and lifestyles, organic food is high on the consumer and health totem pole. Therefore, a retailer requires assurances that the line of business is sustainable, in the retail business empty shelves drive away customers.
Farmers may not necessarily have the requisite skills sets to meet retailers’ demands. Quantities of particular produce maybe available during certain seasons and then they disappear when the product is out of season. Same with quality, it is easy to have high quality produce in the beginning of the season, but maintaining such standards consistently may prove too much for unseasoned farmers.
Therefore, a stalemate of sorts persists, the farmers have the produce in plenty, but the retailers cannot take it and will not take it. Nobody gains anything and the masses are denied access to safe food.
Well, the Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN) has been working on the problem for a number of years. Attempting to bridge this market-supply gap. Through trial and error several things have been established but not limited to,
1) It is not enough to introduce farmers to retailers and vice versa, there has to be some added capacity for the farmers to be able to reach the quality standards of the retailers. Here issues of marketing and branding emerge. Gone are the days when just saying something is organic will sell. Consumers are looking for branded merchandise, something they can trace back to the source.
2) Retailers need assurance of regular and consistent supply. Farmers cannot operate as individuals; marketing collectives need to be established, farmers need to take control of the process.
3) It is not enough to have a marketing collective; a planting calendar needs to be established. To ensure consistency and reduce internal competition a system for growing what and when needs to be developed. This system needs to take into consideration what the market wants and in what volumes.
4) The prevailing agroecological conditions need to be observed, what can be grown with least effort should be grown, farmers need to avoid problem crops (pests and diseases, access to quality seed, etc.). Farming is an enterprise, if the costs of growing particular crops outweigh the market prices and leave little margins for profit, then they cease to be viable and should be abandoned until prevailing conditions change.
All viable lessons. KOAN’s latest attempt at streamlining the organic supply chain in Kenya currently involves farmers from Machakos and Murang’a counties. Murang’a supplies most of the vegetables while Machakos supplies the fruits creating a healthy balance. The project supported by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) started in 2018 with 90 farmers, 45 from each county with 3 retailers interested. This number has since grown to 200 farmers and 6 retailers.
With the experience gained from previous attempts, KOAN first selected entrepreneurial and market ready farmers. The farmers were taken through the usual capacity building sessions with particular emphasis on managing expectations as well as conveying the importance of professional conduct in approaching business. Retailers were also involved in order to eliminate any casualness, the gravity of the whole system needed to be appreciated. This was not business as usual and everybody on board got the message. Initial meetings were organized between farmers and retailers. This was mainly to get the farmers to grow exactly what the market required. KOAN engaged field coordinators to assist the farmers in aggregating their products. The coordinators served as the nodes between farmers and retailers. The farmer marketing collectives would eventually absorb them.
Proof of the pudding is in the eating. Sales began in the month of November 2020. By December the volumes had considerably increased and February 2020 saw the highest volumes traded since. By this time two farmer cooperatives had been formally registered, i.e. the Murang’a Organic Growers Cooperatives Society and Machakos Organic Cooperative Society. With increase in confidence, retailers also started demanding for more, the current volumes were inadequate. This warranted the increase in farmer supply base. More farmers recruited into the cooperative and supply volumes ramped up. Projected volume for supply had the situation remained constant would have been northwards of 10 tonnes monthly since the volumes had been growing by 30%monthly.
As with any worthwhile endeavour, challenges will be encountered and for this particular system, the COVID 19 pandemic struck hard. With limited movements and reduced consumption, most households are keeping a firm grip on their expenditures. Hotels and restaurants closed their doors to clients, retailers reported significant dip in consumer spending. These were by far the biggest buyers and significantly reduced their demand. The situation might seem bleak but it has also revealed opportunities.
Nairobi cannot be the only market for organic produce, with increased sensitization more viable markets can be cultivated closer to home. This will also lead to increased profits for the farmers with transport cost reduced substantially.
Third party traders and retailers need not be the only outlets; the cooperatives can develop their outlets and market their products as organic. This is a reality in other sectors, Fresha Milk, a popular brand in Kenya is owned by Murang’a Dairy Cooperative Society.
Post harvest preparation and Value addition needs to be part of the system. Today there might not be a market, but the situation might change overnight.
The story is not at an end yet, with the support of KOAN, the cooperatives are exploring the above options. Although demand from Nairobi still exists, the COVID19 pandemic revealed how fragile the system is. A pivot is needed, to where and what? Only time will tell. Watch this space for updates.
[1] FIBl and IFOAM, The World of Organic Agriculture, The World of Organic Agriculture, 2016 <https://doi.org/10.4324/9781849775991>.
[2] FiBL and IFOAM, The World of Organic Agriculture, ed. by Helga Willer and Julia Lernoud, The World of Organic Agriculture Statistic and Emerging Trends 2019, 2019 <https://doi.org/10.4324/9781849775991>.
https://www.koan.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/koan-LOGO.png00Martin Njorogehttps://www.koan.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/koan-LOGO.pngMartin Njoroge2020-06-23 13:53:242020-06-23 13:57:31GROWING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN THE ORGANIC VALUE CHAIN
After a recent expose on how supermarkets use chemicals (sodium metabisulphite) on meat to remain fresh, and the increasing cancer deaths among other Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), the link between food and disease among Kenyans is now alive. Sadly the proposed solutions are the usual reactional, mostly geared towards closing the supermarket meat butcheries, setting up more cancer centers, providing hospitals with screening equipment’s and less on preventative measures.
Tainted meat on supermarket shelves?
As a society we need to look back at where the rains started beating us. For a long time, we have lived in some sort of fool’s paradise, eating without any care about the safety of the food. Dangerous chemicals continue to be registered in the county including those banned elsewhere. Most of the extension is done by the manufacturers and distributors of these chemical. Farmers indiscriminately use them on regime basis rather on need as advised to increase sales.
From the Pesticides Control and Products Board, (PCPB) in 2018, Kenya imported fifteen thousand six hundred (15,600) tones of chemicals, more than double (2X) the amounts imported in 2015, six thousand four hundred tonnes (6400). PCPB has registered 247 active ingredients in 699 products for horticultural use. There are more products than active ingredients since one active ingredient can be in different formulations registered by different companies in different products. For example active ingredient glyphosate is registered in 39 products by 22 companies. Active ingredient imidacloprid is registered in 30 products by 13 companies. It is also important to note that most products contain “inert ingredients”. These are carrier or sticking agents that help the product retain the active agent in a stable form. The inert ingredients quite often constitute over 95% of the pesticide product and are equally toxic as the active ingredient and sometimes even more. Sadly, when registering pesticide products, pesticide manufacturers are only required to list the active ingredients in a pesticide, leaving consumers and applicators unaware of the possible toxics present in the inert ingredients of the pesticide products they are using. Pesticide manufacturers argue they cannot release information on inert ingredients because they are trade secrets, and if released, their products could be duplicated.
In a recent study undertaken by the Route to Food Initiative, (RTFI) and partners, of the 247 active ingredients registered in Kenya, by the Pest Control and Poisons Board (PCPB), only 150 are approved in Europe, 11 are not listed in the European database and 78 have been withdrawn from the European market or are heavily restricted in their use due to potential chronic health effects, environmental persistence, high toxicity towards fish or bees. From the PCPB records a total ofl 155 companies have registered 699 products in Kenya. Most of the products originate from Europe (288 products), followed by China (199 products), India (82 products), US (54 products), Israel (32 products) and Japan (19 products) while other regions/countries have registered the balance. This means Europe and not China, as often argued, is the market leader in terms of pesticide sale.
Double Standards
Unfortunately, agricultural exports to Europe from Kenya and Africa at large are put under stringent measures for sanitary, phytosanitary and Maximum Residual Levels, (MRLS) – the maximum detectable levels for pesticides in food products allowable for export. This is a measure importing countries put to ensure safety of products getting into their countries with a mission to safeguard their safety. The companies that manufacture these pesticides cannot sell some of them in the countries of origin but dump them to Kenya and other developing countries. They make sure they don’t get back to Europe by use of rigorous regular monitoring systems to detect and reject products distained to their markets at the points of entry. Strangely, the EU Regulation EC304/2003 allows European companies to produce and export banned or restricted pesticides for domestic use to other countries, the so called double standard. However in a recent report to the Human Rights Council (Elver, 2017), the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on Toxic Wastes and the Right to Food stated that to expose other nations to toxins known to cause major health damage or fatality is a clear human rights violation. They called on countries to remove these existing double standards especially with countries with weaker regulatory systems.
Back home, in a vicious treadmill we continuously import more chemicals that our farmers indiscriminately use without proper protection, disregard the harvest intervals and sometimes after harvest to increase the shelf life. While this is happening, the authorities have remained aloof as poison is served to citizens and the resultant cost of health continues to increase. The dynamics surrounding food safety and nutrition are too vital to be ignored or down played.
How safe is the food being sprayed ?
It is high time the Pest Control Poisons Board (PCPB) withdrew pesticides that have been banned elsewhere for their known adverse effects on human health and persistence on the environment from the Kenyan markets. The Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate (KEPHIS) needs to revamp its National Pesticide Residue Monitoring Programme (NPRMP) and make it regular in all counties. Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) need tighten on the Standard requirements for chemicals used in Agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture Livestock Fisheries and Irrigation need to revamp our agriculture extension system so that farmers can be advised by neutral agricultural experts on the use of pesticides, when, how to use and which to avoid. Government extension agents should play a key role on monitoring how farmers use chemicals and also to ensure that banned chemicals are not sold to unaware farmers. Private sector and Civil Society in the agriculture sector need to work more closely in a synergistic way and promote agroecology and marketing of safe agricultural produce. We need to educate our citizens/consumers so that they be more involved in deciding what is served on their plates, otherwise, our lives are on the line.
https://www.koan.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/haz-mat-spraying.jpg10531580Eustace Gachanjahttps://www.koan.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/koan-LOGO.pngEustace Gachanja2019-09-18 06:46:352019-09-18 06:56:20Toxic Chemicals Everywhere, Our Lives on the Line…. #TOXICBUSINESS
By a show of hands/clicksWho wants to be a farmer in Kenya right now?
Farmers in Kenya are grappling with multiple problems, from high input prices to frequent pest and disease infestations.
To be a farmer in Kenya is to accept suffering all in a bid to feed a nation that gives little thought to where their food comes from. Traditional crop farming has been replaced with more conventional farming methods; and it seems only those who have gone high tech seem to be reaping most of the benefits especially when middlemen come into the picture.
Farmers are suffering because of exploitation by unscrupulous middlemen
So what?
The picture maybe daunting but there is always a way. On 22 September 2018, the world celebrated the World Organic Agriculture Day; in Kenya we commemorated the event a day earlier at the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies. The KENYA ORGANIC FOOD FESTIVAL AND EXHIBITION (KOFFE) ,organized by among others Egerton University, the University of Nairobi and the Kenya Organic Agriculture Network, saw multiple players in the organic agriculture sector discuss the past, present and future recourse.
Wangari Maathai Institute (WMI) for Peace and Environmental Studies
Farmers displaying their products were smiling all the way. Having worked with them for the past 4 years I could understand their mirth, they played the long game and are now reaping the benefits. Not to be overlooked, organic farmers still face the same challenges as conventional farmers, they suffer pest and disease attacks but the losses they incur are usually within the economic threshold.
Kenya Organic Food Festival and Exhibition (KOFFE) 2018
Why is that?What Makes Organic Farming so Special?
Crops grown organically in ecologically sound conditions grow hardier and more resilient to environmental shocks as well as pest and disease attacks. They are nutrient packed and fetch much better prices than conventionally grown produce. Due to poor traceability and hygiene standards in conventional systems, a growing number of conscious consumers are willing to pay a premium price for organically certified foods. Take for example a kilo of tomatoes, if grown under normal conventional system it will go for KES 80-100 at the local market, if it is organic the price will range from KES 120-180, where the latter will have spent much less to produce. This means that the organic farmers will always get a fair price for their produce and not suffer the exploitation of intermediaries.
Food security… Much Ado about Organic
Some pundits will argue that if all farmers were to go organic, Kenya would never be able to achieve food security. Nevertheless, despite over 50 years of conventional agriculture, Kenya is still yet to attain food security and this has nothing to do with organic agriculture, because it is all about systems.
In 2015, a national wide soil survey released by President Uhuru Kenyatta at Egerton University revealed that Kenya soils are exhausted. Farmers are now spending more on inputs but with diminishing outputs, this has led to Kenya being a net importer of food.
That is unless you are an organic farmer; through sound soil nurturing and production practices they are able to maintain high levels of productivity at a fraction of the cost. It more about the farmers’ mindset, passion and sustainable thinking other than pure commercial interest are the driving force. Fairness to the environment, to the people and to all contributors is a central theme. As proven by the state of Sikkim India, food security is possible through organic practices. Going organic means farmers’ health will not be at risk thereby prolonging their capacity to produce food for the nation.
Organic farmer smiling all the way
What about cost of food?Too good to be affordable?
Organic food is perceived as expensive, and maybe it is and with rising cost of living not that many households can bear the additional cost. However, as any economist will tell you, once there are more players in the industry, market forces will drive down organic food costs. Majority of commercial organic farmers produce for export markets but if more farmers joined the scene, the local market will have adequate supply. This will also not only create opportunity for other players (input manufactures, processors, certifiers etc.) but will effectively lower other operational costs.
We’re living in the world of now, and many people will shrug and say they’ll just wait and see.
Martin Njoroge
The problem comes in when people are consuming pesticide residue laden foods, which is manifesting itself in myriads of illnesses, organic foods don’t have pesticide residues because the organic farmers don’t use them in the first place and they put in measures to prevent contamination from such. That’s the whole point of going organic really, plus the sense of safety in knowledge that twenty year from now some scientist won’t discover that the chemicals considered safe today aren’t that safe really.
“Proof of the pudding is in the eating” – Origins of GRAS. . .
The future..The Now.. And In between
Promoting organic agriculture in Kenya is all about promoting the health of the nation. With a serious cancer prevalence, the burden of disease is seriously impeding our developmental progress as a country. Kenya has a checkered past where commercial interests have overridden the health and safety of the people. This need not be. The Organic movement in Kenya is real and very vibrant but unfortunately not many people are aware of its existence. Farmer and consumer education on the benefits of adopting organic production practices is critical, because they can be used in tandem with conventional practices.
The National and County governments have a central role in sensitizing farmers, and working with NGO’s who have been the main drivers behind the organic movement, organic agriculture will be mainstreamed in policies and practices in Kenya. This does not mean the ball lies solely on the government’s court; all farmers should take up the responsibility and decide that their health and the health of consumers come first and do the necessary to bridge the gap in between.
So its The NOW but not the Future that is Organic
https://www.koan.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Organic-Do-Not-Spray.jpg8481273Martin Njorogehttps://www.koan.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/koan-LOGO.pngMartin Njoroge2019-07-31 09:31:562019-09-18 06:57:15The Future is Not Organic
Cities are largely dependent on the rural areas for food. Unwittingly, they usually are the final and most important component of the complete city food system. In a nutshell, the food system is simply an economic system, that facilitates production, aggregation, processing and distribution of food to city dwellers; with proceeds flowing back through the value chain actors’ and even further back to input manufacturers. However, it is much more complex than that it seems. It has effects on soil structure, fertility and water-holding capacity; resilience to climate change, crop, animal and human productivity; food security, health and biodiversity; social capital, employment generation, gender; and general national development. It is therefore apparent, that it transcends geopolitical relationships, politics, governance, social and cultural aspects.
The demand for affordable foods in the cities grows at the rate of population growth modulated by changing tastes and cultural diversity. There is also a similar increase in enterprises to meet this demand, driven by desire for profit. These enterprises span across the provision of needed inputs and equipment, through aggregation transport and distribution to the consumer industry of retailing and restauranting.
Interest to make money has overridden core needs of sustainability, health, fairness and care
Opportunity for gain abounds, since people must eat. In modern times, interest to make money has overridden core needs of sustainability, health, fairness and care. The consequences are manifest in depleted and poisoned soils, loss of biodiversity, exponential increase in non-communicable diseases, oppression and exploitation of the producing communities and urban poor.In their current state, city food systems are not sustainable and are failing to meet food and nutrition needs for all.
Farmer Spraying Farm
Increasing demand for food is linked to greater, intensified and extensive use of synthetic agricultural inputs. Ultimately Modern farming has been equated to desertion of nature for production needs. It does this at a high cost to the environment and resultant loss of resilience among the poor. The cost of biodiversity loss or for ecosystems services is not met by the current system. Approximately 60% of the ecosystem services examined in the Millennium Ecosystems Assessment are being degraded or used unsustainably (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment – Synthesis, 2005). Finally, nature has started to fight back. Now even FAO has recognized the need for “production intensification through ecosystem management” (Plant Production and Protection Division, www.fao.org/ag/AGP). That ideally, consumers should care about what they eat is produced, how safe and nutritious it is, has come as a revelation to many.
Despite this “revelation” agricultural production tends to follow the same old cue. It seems as if the only approvable model of agricultural production in the developing world must ape that in developed world – meaning greater intensification and mono-cultural production dependent upon stronger push for more synthetic input. It is thus easy to predict the outcome. With nature fighting back, more inputs must be made available for less production until vast portions of hitherto productive land lies in waste. Examples abound globally and locally.
https://www.koan.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/City-Food-Systems1.jpg400495Adminhttps://www.koan.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/koan-LOGO.pngAdmin2019-04-25 08:47:562021-02-16 20:13:20City Food Systems
Agriculture produces the world’s food,
fibre and materials for shelter; and in many countries it is also an important
source of livelihood among the poor. Also, sometimes agriculture is related
directly to poor health including malnutrition, food-borne illnesses,
livestock-related diseases and chronic diseases. In turn, health also affects
agriculture influencing demand for food, work performance, productivity and
income.
People eat to live; to be healthy; and for the simple joy of it. However, bad eating can lead to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) including diabetes, heart disease, blood pressure, gout and cancer. In fact, the prevalence of NCDs and the risk factors at local level is high and on the rise. NCDs account for 63% of mortality globally. By 2030, the four main NCD-related deaths (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers and chronic respiratory illnesses) in Africa will exceed the combined deaths from communicable diseases, nutritional, maternal and neo-natal deaths by 75%.
The cost of care for NCDs dominates health care budgets. In Kenya, NCDs accounts for more than 50% of total hospital admissions and more than 55% of hospital deaths. Finally, mental illnesses such as depression are rising and associated with other NCDs. Kenya’s health care system is not adequately equipped to manage such NCDs burden.
However,
healthy diets can help reduce the risk. Eating
nutrient dense foods and balancing energy intake with the necessary physical
activity and a healthy weight is essential. The density of nutrients in foods
is dependent on production practices. Although
complex to explain, it is clear that diet and foodstuffs production practices
impact on consumer’s health. Informed authority has it that foods, rather than
nutrients, should form the basis for dietary recommendations on the rule of the
thumb: “eat a variety of real foods; mostly plants”.
However,
current systems of agriculture are designed to reduce food diversity. Four main
crops – rice, maize, wheat and potatoes – provide two-thirds of global dietary
energy intake. Agriculture has increasingly become an engine for generating
animal feed, biofuels and industrial ingredients (e.g. sugar-sweetened
beverages, ready-to-eat meals and snacks).
New investments in food systems research
and production are needed to develop technologies for production of nutrient
dense crops at lower cost; in tandem with efforts to develop food value chains
to meet the new demand efficiently. These efforts are important for supporting
stable incomes for farmers, expanding the production, preservation and
distribution of vegetables, pulses and fruits. They are also needed to
popularise healthier production environments, food business, healthier eating
and healthier lifestyle. Indeed, widespread behavioural changes towards
preference for pulses, vegetables and fruits in schools, workplaces, markets
and in homes may also be effective without restricting choices. The desired
change may be achieved by public policy, strategy and practice at community
level.
We now see that new thinking is
needed to afford these multiple benefits. For example, pulse, fruits,
vegetables and traditional varieties production and processing businesses can
offer new livelihood opportunities for millions. In this way, food systems can
be leveraged to affect human health and nutrition: positively influencing food
safety, food prices, household incomes and women’s access to productive
resources. It can have a positive impact on the environment and many human
health and nutrition outcomes related to extreme weather.
All stakeholders should confront the challenge and find solutions for improved nutrition and health; ending hunger and malnutrition while protecting the ecosystem services.
Health and Agriculture – The “Missing” Links written By Eustace Kiarii appeared in The Kenya Organic Food Festival and Exhibition 2018 Proceedings
https://www.koan.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Health-and-Agriculture-.jpg400495Adminhttps://www.koan.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/koan-LOGO.pngAdmin2019-04-11 10:42:012019-05-07 07:32:54Health and Agriculture – The “Missing” Links
