Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture

The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) has collaborated with the International Centre for Evaluation and Development (ICED) to establish the East Africa Horticulture Regional Hub. ICED’s Nairobi Office serves as the office of the East Africa Horticulture Regional Hub. The Innovation Lab’s global research network advances fruit and vegetable innovations, empowering smallholder farmers to earn more income while better nourishing their communities. The program is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and led by a team based at University of California, Davis, as part of the U.S. government’s Feed the Future initiative.

Within the next four years, the Horticulture Innovation Lab is focusing its efforts on the East Africa region with the aim to implement a locally led, globally supported program that will produce systemic, sustainable, and inclusive improvements in the horticulture sector. Despite, East Africa region having favourable climate, the great potential of horticulture sector remains unrealized due to several challenges along the value chain. Alongside the constraints, there exists unexplored opportunities for inclusive growth for all actors such as women and the youth in the sector. Identification and prioritization of the challenges and opportunities by key stakeholders and practitioners in the horticulture value chain is critical for targeted interventions to achieve productive, efficient, sustainable, and inclusive growth of the horticulture sector in East Africa Regio.