Fintrac Harvest Fall 2010

Food security in Kenya improves under Fintrac program

NAIROBI, Kenya – Despite facing drought, political turmoil and a global economic crisis, Fintrac’s Kenya Horticultural Development Program (USAID-KHDP) increased incomes and food security for 58,000 smallholders, sparked Kenya/US trade, expanded domestic markets, pioneered public/private initiatives to help thousands of farmers earn international quality certifications and developed entirely new value chains for crops including passion fruit, African Bird’s Eye chili, tea tree, mangos and cashews.

The program, which ended this summer as Fintrac launched the new USAID-Kenya Horticulture Competitiveness Program, built strong working relationships with nearly 70 private sector companies and government agencies to deliver services to smallholders and provided direct technical assistance through agronomists based in xx provinces.

Fintrac-assisted growers increased average passion fruit yields from an average of less than 10 tons per hectare to more than 17 tons per hectare.

Peter Gicheru, one of the program’s passion fruit farmers in Thika, made nothing from his land until becoming one of Fintrac’s clients and now he can earn as much as $1,890 per month by selling to buyers and processors connected to him through the program.

“My home was built with the proceeds of passion,” Gicheru said.

Fintrac helped the Bwogi group in Kisumu establish a demonstration farm with water tanks and drip irrigation so they could get by during times of drought. In one year the group managed to harvest onions three times and generated $21,000.

“This program has put knowledge into our heads,” said Bwogi group member Joshua Owuor. “Now that we know, we can push poverty away.” Fintrac also taught small farmers other new technologies such as low-cost greenhouse production. Penina Omollo of the Karawa

Women’s Group in Homa Bay, had no income until starting her greenhouse and her first harvest generated $625.

“The nutrition of my family has really changed,” Omollo said. “Now I can buy what I couldn’t before.”

Fintrac also helped farmers such as John Onkeo establish new lives after being displaced by 2007/2008 election violence. Onkeo was forced to start from scratch and move his family but was still able to increase his income by more than 300 percent.

“With the assistance I have completely transformed life for me and my family,” Onkeo said.

With the June launch of the KHCP, Fintrac plans to build on our success. KHCP is a five-year program that aims to improve food security and increase incomes for 25,000 farmers.