From November 18-26, 2024, the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture program team was on a tour of the Lab’s East Africa Regional Hub programs, funded by Horticulture Innovation Lab and coordinated by ICED. The touring team was composed of Lydiah Maranga, program officer, Michel Kabirigi, post-doctoral researcher—both representing the Horticulture Innovation Lab—and Penina Yumbya, manager of the East Africa Regional Hub, hosted at ICED’s headquarters in Kenya.
The regional tour included visits to the sites and teams of the horticulture-focused research projects coordinated by the East Africa Regional Hub.
November 18-21
Penina, Lydiah, and Michel began their tour with a visit to the first horticulture project led by Professor Robert Kajobe, at Muni University, in Arua, Uganda. Muni University’s project, “Development of Innovative Horticulture Technologies for Improved Income and Livelihoods among Small-scale Women Farmers in Uganda”, aims to address the critical issue of horticultural crop production both at the pre-harvest and postharvest levels among small-scale vegetable farmers. At pre-harvest level, the team is evaluating different agronomic practices for reduced vegetable losses while, at the postharvest stage, they are evaluating different postharvest practices and technologies among them the Coolbot cold room. The Coolbot cold room is a relatively affordable and adequate storage solution providing farmers with access to cold storage facilities for their produce.
On November 18 and 19, the team visited stakeholders and collaborators of the project. They began their trip with a courtesy call to Omia Agribusiness Development Group Ltd (OADG), a collaborator on the project and host of the Coolbot cold room installation. They toured the facility and learned more about OADG’s work with smallholder farmers in the West Nile region and the impact of the Coolbot.
According to Beatrice Mamasia, commodity marketing manager, since the installation of the Coolbot, the rate of postharvest losses has drastically reduced from 21kg of tomatoes per day to 8kg per day, and from 8 watermelons to 2, daily. The benefits have trickled to the smallholder farmers as OADG is capable of buying more produce from farmers at better prices. The team also paid a courtesy call to the Muni University Secretary’s Office and discussed the impact and sustainability of the Horticulture Innovation Lab project, concluding with a call for more collaboration. Michel then led the project team through training on Social Network Analysis.
On November 20 and 21, the team toured the project’s experimental sites to see the ongoing research activities in the area, and its impact on the target beneficiaries alongside conducting a training session on DryCard technology with key stakeholders in the region.
November 25
Four of the East Africa Regional Hub projects are located in Kenya. Penina, Lydiah, and Michel also visited these project teams during their regional tour, to gauge their progress, understand potential challenges, and understand the projects’ impact in the livelihoods of the target communities.
Along with hosting the East Africa Regional Hub, ICED is also managing an impactful project focused on “Determining the Cost-Benefit of Integrating Horticulture into Staple Crop Production in Kenya”, led by Kwadwo Danso-Mensah (Ph.D.) as the Principal Investigator (PI) and Simon Gicheha (Ph.D.) and Forah Obebo as co-Principal Investigators. During the tour, Lydiah and Michel visited ICED’s headquarters in Nairobi, where Penina, Simon, Forah and the team held discussions centered on ongoing project activities across East Africa and the incredible opportunities for scaling these initiatives to drive sustainable agricultural growth.
In Kenya, an exciting research initiative is underway to explore the nutritional, economic, and social impacts (with a focus on gender equity and youth engagement) for producers along short and long value chains of selected horticultural crops.
Titled "Determining the Trade-offs Between Short and Long Horticulture Value Chains in Kenya," this project is led by Professor Willis Owino, of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), in collaboration with GROOTS Kenya.
The team is leveraging ICT solutions to address challenges in horticulture value chains, improve inclusivity, and assess how short vs. long value chains influence livelihoods, nutrition, and social equity.
This research’s aim is to drive policy changes and deliver actionable insights that strengthen horticultural value chains, making them more inclusive, resilient, and impactful.
During their on-site visit, Penina, Lydiah, and Michel were able to witness GROOTS’ and JKUAT’s team’s dedication and the progress they are making toward empowering smallholder farmers to earn more income while nourishing their communities.
November 26
Shibia Mumina (Ph.D.), from Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), is the Principal Investigator (PI) for the project “Enhancing Productivity, Post-harvest Management and Market Access of African Indigenous Vegetables in Kenya” being implemented in collaboration with the University of Nairobi.
This project goes beyond improving yields: it focuses on empowering smallholder farmers, particularly women and youth, revitalizing rural communities, and promoting food security and nutrition for all Kenyans. By addressing critical challenges such as limited access to quality seeds, poor post-harvest handling practices, and inadequate market linkages, the initiative aims to unlock the untapped potential of African Indigenous Vegetables (AIVs). The project highly targets youth and women in the counties of Kisii and Kakamega that were selected due to their high population density, small land sizes typically managed by small holder farmers.
On November 26, Penina, Lydiah, and Michel visited the ongoing AIV screening work, led by Professor Richard Nyakanga at University of Nairobi, which focuses on identifying high-yielding, nutritious AIV varieties/landraces with extended post-harvest shelf life. The screening also evaluates the nutritional and bioactive components of selected landraces and advanced lines.
Professor Jane Ambuko led the team on a tour of the Fresh Produce Aggregation and Distribution Hub at the University of Nairobi. This facility aims to connect smallholder horticultural farmers to urban markets while making fresh produce conveniently available to consumers in Nairobi. Produce from the aggregation centers established in the two counties of Kisii and Kakamega will be channeled to urban markets through the Fresh Produce Aggregation and Distribution Hub at the University of Nairobi. The produce at the hub will be minimally processed (plucking, cutting, and packaging) and distributed through established University of Nairobi market channels.
This project highlights how resilient and adaptable AIVs can contribute to building a diversified agricultural system that is better equipped to withstand the impacts of climate change and other external shocks. It is inspiring to see how collaboration, innovation, and dedication are paving the way for a brighter future for Kenya’s smallholder farmers.
The team had an opportunity to pay a courtesy call to the Dean Faculty of Agriculture where discussions centered on strengthening collaboration among the different partner organizations represented.
View more photos from the East Africa Regional Hub tour here
