Kenya Market-led Horticulture Programme (HortIMPACT)

The Kenya Market-led Horticulture Project (KMHP or HortIMPACT) combines private sector expertise with social impact solutions to build sustainable, inclusive, climate resilient, horticulture value chains and markets Kenya that benefit small and medium-sized farmers.

Poor food safety, high food losses and the exclusion of small & medium sized (SME) farmers from value chains are limiting the economic growth and social benefits of fruit and vegetable markets in Kenya. HortIMPACT works in selected horticulture value chains to change this. The project promotes innovative solutions and technologies from the private sector to improve production of fruits, vegetables and potatoes and stimulate inclusive market growth.

HortIMPACT works with Kenyan and Dutch agri-businesses, to develop business cases that support SME farmers to overcome the challenges they face to access markets, increase production, improve food safety, and reduce post-harvest losses. The business cases are developed jointly with the agribusinesses and farmers and are selected because they are economically viable, innovative, and scalable. HortIMPACT leverages private sector investments, co-investing up to 50% of the necessary costs in these business cases. HortIMPACT also cooperates with national and county government agencies to formulate and implement policies to create an enabling, inclusive environment. In addition, HortIMPACT supports innovation projects that in time could result in new business cases that support inclusive horticulture sector development in Kenya. HortIMPACT will share the good practice and lessons learned from the business cases with farmers, Kenyan and Dutch agribusinesses, and policy makers to enable upscaling of successful methods and approaches.

HortIMPACT aims to reach 50,000 SME farmers with 15 business cases that focus on the following components:

1. Promoting the inclusion of SME Farmers

2. Improving food safety

3. Reducing Post-Harvest Losses