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5th Organic Business Workshop

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Unveiling Opportunities: Join Us at the 5th Organic Business Workshop!

The Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN) is at the forefront of Kenya’s organic agriculture sector, providing essential guidance and professional advisory services to members and stakeholders. Our focus spans organic production, technical training, marketing, certification, and policy matters. In line with our mission, we’re thrilled to announce our 5th Annual Organic Business Workshop, aimed at enhancing market connections within the organic sector.

Globally, the organic industry is experiencing remarkable growth, emerging as the fastest-expanding segment within agriculture, with billions of dollars in products traded annually. This growth is mirrored in Kenya, where the demand for safe, wholesome food is rising, driven by concerns about food safety in the local supply chain. With a discerning middle class making more conscious food choices and export markets prioritizing sustainability and reduced carbon footprints, the organic sector’s importance is skyrocketing.

KOAN has been a trailblazer in fostering business partnerships within the organic industry, facilitating local and international trade through strategic advisory services and partnerships. In collaboration with the Research Institute for Organic Agriculture (FiBL), we are steadfast in advancing organic market development in Kenya, targeting both domestic and export markets.

The Organic Business Workshop is an exclusive gathering designed to highlight identified organic business prospects across four counties: Kiambu, Kirinyaga, Machakos, and Murang’a. The workshop will focus on three key Strategic Business Groups: Organic Vegetables, Organic Fruits, and Organic Roots and Tubers. This event serves as a platform to explore new partnerships within these identified pathways and to share insights from our Annual Organic Data Survey.

As a valued organic stakeholder, we are excited to invite you to the 5th Organic Business Workshop, scheduled for May 8th, 2024, at Pride Inn Azure, Westlands Nairobi, Kenya, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Please register via this link https://bit.ly/OrganicBusinessWorkshop5th to join the meeting virtually via zoom.

We eagerly anticipate your active participation in this workshop, which marks a pivotal step in exploring collaborative organic business opportunities. For any inquiries or further information, please feel free to contact the undersigned or Martin Njoroge Kimani at martin@koan.co.ke or +254 725 295 437.

2nd Kenya National PGS Workshop

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THE 2nd KENYA NATIONAL PGS WORKSHOP

Date : Friday 17th November 2023

Venue : Sports View Hotel Kasarani

Time : 9.00am – 4.00pm

Goal : Improved farmers’ livelihoods driven by an increased organic market value and effective organic sector services being part of a well-coordinated sector.

Objectives:

  1. To develop strong PGS systems for greater transparency and guarantee of Kilimohai Organic Produce.
  2. To provide opportunity for improved networking among PGS groups in Kenya.
  3. To create a platform for cross learning about the opportunities and best practices in PGS.

Participants:

  • PGS group representatives from all over Kenya
  • NGO partners sponsoring PGS groups
  • Organic Sector Traders,
  • Retailers and
  • Interested parties from County Governments

Introduction

Whereas Organic farming is seen as an alternative to conventional farming which has negative attendant impacts on the environment, 3rd party certification is often times seen as a significant hurdle in market access for organic smallholder farmers. Participatory Guarantee Systems were introduced as a way of empowering farmers to take charge of organic certification through self-guarantee while building groups to be cohesive marketing units for organic produce. PGS being a grassroots initiative is coordinated at the national level by the national organic movements who are in charge of among other things ; assessing and approving PGS groups, maintaining a national registry of PGSes by collecting and collating groups information.

With over a decade of PGS implementation, the process in Kenya has evolved to have its own unique flair, with multiple groups exhibiting diverse characteristics, norms and modalities. With such a rich pool of experiences to draw from, the Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN) the national coordinator for PGS groups in Kenya is finalizing an assessment of various PGS groups in order to catalogue best practices, challenges and opportunities and recommendations for growth.

As a way of sharing this information and enhancing interaction and experience sharing among PGS groups in Kenya, the Kenya Organic Agriculture Network is organizing the 2nd Kenya National PGS Workshop which is envisioned to be a consultative session where PGS representatives from different parts of Kenya will meet up to share and discuss critical matters regarding how PGS in Kenya are managed. The workshop will offer opportunities to discuss the future of PGS in Kenya and how to decentralize the development and approval.

There will be launching of  awards for outstanding PGSes in different categories where the judging criteria will be shared to the groups in attendance for judging in 2nd National PGS workshop 2023.

Activities for the workshop will include:

Objective 1: To develop strong PGS systems for greater transparency and guarantee of Kilimohai Organic Produce.

  • Presentation of current PGS register and how they are functioning.
  • Discussion on how should an ideal PGS look like?
  • Discussion on the link between standards the system and the mark.
  • Presentation of the National PGS structure (NPGS committee and how they are functioning and their plan.)
  • Discussion on trust building in PGS systems.

Objective 2: To provide opportunity for improved networking among PGS groups in Kenya.

  • Presentation by PGS groups on how they are doing their operations.
  • Break out session on the different zones and how to improve networking.

Objective 3: To create a platform for cross learning about the opportunities and best practices in PGS.

  • Profile of a successful group – shown as a video/ presentation
  • To compare where the different PGS are and what to do to bridge the gaps