Annual Report
2013
Africa free of hunger, poverty and malnutrition
Africa Harvest’s Board Chairman Dr Moctar Toure, and CEO Dr Florence Wambugu display the organization’s 10-year Strategic Plan.
Annual Report
2013
Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International (AHBFI)
Nairobi • Johannesburg • Washington DC • Toronto
2014
Citation: Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International (AHBFI) 2014. Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013. Nairobi,
Kenya: AHBFI. 68 pp.
All information in this booklet may be quoted or reproduced, provided the source is properly acknowledged, as cited above.
© 2014 Africa Harvest
ISBN 978-0-620-62635-4
For further information about Africa Harvest or additional copies of this publication, contact Africa Harvest at:
NAIROBI (HQ)
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Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: + 254 20 444 1113
Fax: + 254 20 444 1121
Email: [email protected]
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Tel: +1 202 828 1215
Fax: +1 202 857 9799
E-mail: [email protected]
JOHANNESBURG
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PO Box 3655
Pinegowrie 2123
Gauteng, South Africa
Tel: + 27 11 079 4189
Email: [email protected]
TORONTO
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Canada M5H 3Y2
Tel: +1 416-865-6600
Fax: +1 416-865-6636
Email: [email protected]
Or visit the Africa Harvest website: www.africaharvest.org
Cover: 1) Weighing bananas at a collection center in Murang’a; 2) Africa Harvest CEO, Dr Florence Wambugu (center) with
Director, Dr Blessed Okole and a scientist in a tissue culture lab in Tanzania; and 3) Farmers hold discussions in a sorghum field in Mulala.
Content and internal Editor: Daniel Kamanga
Editing and design: BluePencil Infodesign, Hyderabad, India (www.bluepencil.in)
Printing: Pragati Offset Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad, India (www.pragati.com)
Contents
Statement from the Chairman, Dr Moctar Toure 1
Executive summary from the CEO, Dr Florence Wambugu 3
Introducing Africa Harvest 6
Food, Nutritional Security and Sustainable Livelihoods of Smallholders Program 8
Africa Harvest’s 10-years of effort in banana value chain crops helps transform Kenya’s third most important crop
9
Impact of TC banana interventions
11
Testimony of how the positive impact of tissue culture banana technology continues to transform rural livelihoods
12
Technology Development and Deployment Program 16
The Africa Biofortified Sorghum (ABS) Project
17
Confined field trials in Kenya and Nigeria consolidate success of the Africa biofortified sorghum project 19
Natural Resource Management Program 24
Innovative bio-digesters help improve rural communities’ health and protect the environment
25
Case study: Karai Secondary School 26
Case study: Mr Evans and Mrs Ann Wanjiki Njenga 27
Impact of sand dams on the women of Mulala and Wote in Makueni County
30
Agricultural Markets and Policy Program 34
Unlocking value for farmers by improving competitiveness of banana value-chain in Kisii and Nyamira Counties
35
Banana collection and marketing center – Moitunya in Nyamira County 37
Increasing sorghum productivity to improve food security and income generation 38
The brief summary of achievements of the AFIM-UNDP project 41
Strengthening smallholder farmers’ participation in the sorghum value-chain in Tanzania and Kenya 42
Communication for Development and Knowledge Management Program 44
Africa Harvest, Environment and Agricultural Institute, Open Forum on Biotechnology, and Faso Coton explore improved biotech reporting with Burkina Faso radio journalists
45
Strategic biosafety issues management towards the commercialization of genetically modified organisms in Kenya
46
Africa Harvest and biotech partners engage government on impact of ban on genetically modified organisms on pathway to commercialization 46
Africa Harvest social media strategy takes root 46
Africa Harvest 2012 Annual Report online distribution, new website and @ahbfi Twitter account 48
Finance, Administration, and New Business Development Program 52
Maintaining the confidence of development partners and stakeholders in a difficult economic environment
53
Biographies of Board of Directors 55
Summary of financial performance
Expenditure allocation in 2013
59
Africa Harvest 2013 – List of Donors
59
Income and expense indicators 60
Annual Financial Report for the year ended December 31, 2013 61
Acronyms and abbreviations 63
Statement from the Chairman, Dr Moctar Toure
In 2013, the global economy continued to grow at a modest pace. Europe remained in recession while growth
in the US continued to be subdued. In Africa, economic activity was robust, supported by strong investment
demand, and private consumption. The region’s growth prospects remain favorable despite emerging challenges
such as weaker commodity prices, and tighter global financial conditions. Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) declined during the
year under review. An estimated 58% of Africans were
living on less than US$ 1.25 per day around the turn of the
millennium. Within a decade, poverty declined by almost
10% to an estimated 48.5%. In Africa Harvest’s view, these
levels are still not acceptable. With nearly 400 million
people living on less than US$ 1.25 per day, there is still a
lot of work to be done.
Africa Harvest’s response to the challenge of poverty, hunger
and malnutrition is captured in our 10-year Strategic Plan
(SP). During the year under review – despite a challenging
funding environment for our work – Africa Harvest achieved
excellent progress. Apart from creating greater depth in our
programs and activities we made early efforts at geographical
diversification. Our regional South African office stepped
up engagement with potential partners – the Southern
African Development Corporation (SADC) countries – more
specifically, Malawi and Zambia. Africa Harvest is now
registered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and
we look forward to the possibility of implementing projects
there. In West Africa, we continue to have projects in Nigeria,
Ghana, and Burkina Faso. In East Africa, together with
strategic partners, we have begun exploring the possibility
of a three-country project in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda.
Statement from the Chairman
1
The Board is pleased with the management’s plan to expand its activities in a strategic, methodical, and
sustainable manner. A project-driven approach is critical to avoid expansive growth that has limited depth
or impact. We are glad to note that management is focusing on core capabilities and strengths. We continue
to encourage focus on building an organization that successfully disseminates technologies along the wholevalue-chain to smallholder farmers and grassroots communities.
Africa Harvest has the technical capabilities to allow a smooth and effective evolution of activities, projects and
programs. This continuity is critical for success. It underlines the need to create depth, refine key competencies,
and then expand or replicate our products and services. The county-focused strategy underlines the need to
replicate and expand our models, working from the grassroots to the national and regional levels.
We believe this is the way to achieve our vision to be a lead contributor in making Africa free of poverty,
hunger and malnutrition. The emphasis on “contributor” is critical; we recognize that there are many other
players in the space in which we operate, and we applaud their contribution. Our aspiration is to be a leader
in this space. To achieve respect among peers, there is need to add value through partnerships. We remain
committed to working better with our current partners, while expanding our portfolio of partners across the
countries of interest.
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Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
Executive summary from the CEO, Dr Florence Wambugu
While the effects of the global financial crisis continued to be felt in the development sector, Africa Harvest has
remained focused and continued to reach thousands of beneficiaries through its programs. Changes undertaken
to make the organization more resilient and better focused in the face of a challenging funding environment
have begun to bear fruit. Alignment and synergy within and between programs, broadening and strengthening
of partnerships, and greater depth in projects helped achieve our goals.
The Food, Nutritional Security Program for
Sustainable Livelihoods of Smallholder Farmers
had a two-year project designed to revitalize and
consolidate gains in the banana industry in Kenya. The
project which was funded by the Alliance for a Green
Revolution in Africa (AGRA), enabled Africa Harvest to
scale out the tissue culture (TC) banana technology to
new areas. The AGRA-supported project reached nearly
150,0000 households, and five hardening nurseries with
a holding capacity of 5,000 TC banana plantlets were
established, inspected, and certified by the Kenya Plant
Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS). The innovation
here was the establishment of a private sector driven
seed distribution system for long-term sustainability.
The Technology Development and Deployment
Program carried out four Africa Biofortified Sorghum
(ABS) Project Confined Field Trials (CFTs) in Kenya for
the period ending December 2013. A fifth trial was
planned for the first quarter of 2014. In Nigeria there
were three CFTs with the fourth trial scheduled for the
first quarter of 2014. The objective of these studies is
to establish the environmental safety of the ABS project
and to test early stages trait transfer to popular local
sorghum varieties as part of product development. All
Executive summary from the CEO
3
the local and international regulatory requirements were followed to the satisfaction of regulators in Kenya
and Nigeria.
The CFT experiments provided an excellent platform to train and build the capacity of communication
practitioners, scientists, and researchers from partnering institutions. The success achieved during the
period under review can be attributed to strong collaboration among several institutions namely: The Kenya
Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), the Institute of Agricultural Research of Nigeria (IAR), the University of
Nairobi’s Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection, the National Biosafety Authority of Kenya (NBA),
the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services (KEPHIS), the National Biotechnology Development Agency of
Nigeria (NABDA), and Africa Harvest Biotechnology Foundation International (AHBFI).
The Natural Resource Management Program implemented its first major project funded by Grand Challenge
Canada (GCC). The Africa Harvest pilot project sought to develop and promote local and sustainable fuel
sources using bio-digesters to improve community health while protecting the environment and generating
income for farmers. The project made great progress during the project implementation period, demonstrating
in households and institutions, the great opportunity for cooking energy that existed in the use of cattle dung;
the project was to be completed in 2014.
The Agricultural Markets and Policy Program is implementing several projects.
USAID-KHCP project: The title of this project is “Unlocking Value for Farmers by Improving Competitiveness
of Banana Value-Chain Projects in Kisii and Nyamira Counties in Western Kenya”. The project is funded by the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – Kenya Horticulture Competitiveness Project
(KHCP).
The Agricultural Markets and Policy Program is anchored in Africa Harvest’s past experience from having
worked with over 100,000 smallholder banana growers in different parts of Kenya. With regard to agricultural
markets, the focus has been on improving farmers’ access to clean planting materials, building their capacity
in banana orchard establishment and management, besides building the necessary linkages to markets and
input suppliers. In subsequent years, focus will shift to policy, now that farmers have planted over 1 million
TC bananas seedlings over the last eight to ten years.
The Africa Harvest partnership with USAID-KHCP has helped improve the competitiveness of the banana
value-chain. Africa Harvest’s role is to build the capacity of at least 9,000 smallholder farmers to increase
banana productivity from the current 15 tons/ha to about 25 tons/ha. This is being done through farmer
training in orchard establishment and management, linking the farmers to sources of tissue culture bananas
and helping them aggregate their produce to attract serious traders and access markets.
UNDP_AFIM Project: Another project under this program focuses on increasing sorghum productivity to
improve food security and income generation. It is funded by the United Nations Development Program
(UNDP) – Africa Facility for Inclusive Markets (AFIM). Implementation of the two-year regional project in
4
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
Kenya and Tanzania started in 2012, and is focused on promoting inclusive markets and regional trade among
selected farmers who were willing to invest on farming as a business. The selected 2000 farmers from Kenya
and Tanzania had to agree to devote a minimum of one hectare of land to sorghum, train in good agronomic
practices, learn how to manage micro-credit successfully, and apply farming inputs to increase productivity for
the market. The project commenced in September, 2012, and was designed to improve household food security
and generate considerable income for the 2,000 participating farmers by marketing of their surplus sorghum
locally or trading at the inter-country level for better prices, through Africa Harvest facilitation.
Farmers were identified and selected from a large pool of smallholder farmers in Kenya and Tanzania for
implementing a project with the title “Sorghum for Multiple Use (SMU)”. The development partner for the
project is the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the funding source is the European
Union (EU). The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics (ICRISAT) is the main
contractual institution implementing the project in partnership with Africa Harvest.
The Communication for Development and Knowledge Management Program has implemented various
projects: Among them was the Africa Biotech Outreach Project funded by CropLife International (CLI), which
was implemented in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Kenya. The program partnered with the Environment and
Agricultural Institute (INERA), Faso Coton, and the Open Forum on Biotechnology (OFAB), to train senior
radio journalists from 12 stations in Burkina Faso on biotech reporting.
During the year under review, the program held several strategic meetings with Kenya’s NBA, centering on
capacity building in communication, issues management, and improved coordination between technology
developers and regulatory agencies. Africa Harvest intensified the use of social media platforms such as
Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and blogs, to engage mass audiences in transforming the face of agriculture.
The Finance, Administration and New Business Development Program strengthened Africa Harvest’s
performance-focused financial management system. Emphasis was also placed on internal and external
reporting, and accountability. There was greater involvement of project staff in the budget design as well as in
the implementation and monitoring of expenditure. This resulted in increased efficiency in service delivery to
the farmers, and in the overall ability to do more with less, in the face budgetary constraints.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, the management and staff, I would like to thank the ten funding agencies
that supported our activities during the year under review. The funding agencies include: The International
Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
(ICRISAT), CropLife international (CLI), United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – Kenya
Horticulture Competitiveness Project (KHCP)/ Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Center (FINTRAC),
the Cooperative Housing Foundation (CHF), DuPont Pioneer, the Australian Agency for International
Development (AusAID), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Grand Challenge Canada
(GCC), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and many individual donors.
Executive summary from the CEO
5
Introducing Africa Harvest
Farmers in Kisii, Kenya, listen keenly during an on-farm training session.
Vision
Strategic goals
To be a lead contributor in freeing Africa from hunger,
poverty and malnutrition.
The following are our five key goals for the next
decade (2012–2022):
Mission
To use innovative agricultural technologies, and
institutional approaches in our endeavor to improve
the livelihoods of rural communities, particularly
smallholder farmers. Engaging in the use of science
and technology-based sustainable models, while
ensuring gender-focused agricultural development.
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Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
1. Reduce rural poverty and food and nutrition
insecurity through improved agricultural
systems by using science and technology
2. Ensure our target countries can cope with
climate change through sustainable agricultural production and commercialization,
with zero or minimum negative impact to
the environment
3. Improve the nutrition and health of
smallholder farmers, and poor consumers
4. Provide equitable access to information and
knowledge to smallholder farmers, and other
stakeholders. Focus on information designed
to improve and modernize the agricultural
sector, based on the whole-value-chain
approach
5. Facilitate development of agricultural valuechains by involving and empowering all
critical stakeholders
Approach
Africa Harvest pursues its mission and goals through:
• Use of science and technology
• Technology development and transfer
• Value-chain development for key agricultural
commodities
• Mainstreaming cross-cutting issues of climate
change, gender, HIV and AIDS
• Empowerment of female farmers in rural farming
communities, where there are gender disparities
• Partnership with farming communities, research
institutions, and other organizations that share
our vision
• Environmental protection
• Commitment to making a positive impact
Guiding principles
• Adherence to its vision and mission
• Value addition to national goals of the countries
in which the organization operates
• Scientific and technical integrity and professional
excellence
• Commitment to partnerships that strengthen
African agriculture
• Programmatic approach based on developing the
whole-value-chain
• Creating and responding to market opportunities
• Reaching out and empowering our stakeholders
• Ensuring gender equality and benefit sharing from
the development interventions
• Focus on impact, and tangible results to the
beneficiaries
• Mainstreaming social, human, and environmental
concerns and issues, specifically climate change,
gender, HIV and AIDS
Core values
• Excellence
• Innovation and creativity
• Institutional and
accountability
scientific
integrity
and
• Gender, HIV and AIDS awareness
• Diversity of opinions and approaches
• Service to
landholders
farm
families,
especially
small
• Cultural diversity
• Valuing indigenous knowledge
Introducing Africa Harvest
7
Food, Nutritional Security and
Sustainable Livelihoods of
Smallholders Program
8
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
The issue of food security and sustainable livelihoods is central to all development
interventions. There is a huge need to ensure that families have sufficient and nutritious
food at all times. The communities cannot begin to work on development issues if their
primary need for food is not met.
This program arises out of the need to deliver appropriate technology and critical farm
inputs to beneficiaries. It seeks to pioneer innovative capacity building solutions for good
agronomic practices, post-harvest handling, value addition, and marketing.
Other themes under this program include strong gender, HIV and AIDS mainstreaming for
rural communities. Emphasis is placed on women and youth empowerment, agricultural
value-chains, development, mobilization, and capacity building of agro-entrepreneurs.
Africa Harvest’s 10-years of effort
in banana value chain crops helps
transform Kenya’s third most
important crop
Banana is the most important fruit1 and the third
most import crop2 in Kenya; despite this, the
crop’s value chain is still encumbered with myriad
challenges. Some of these challenges are: High
prevalence of pests and disease; and poor agronomy
that includes sharing of diseased suckers among the
small-scale farmers who ultimately form the bulk of
banana farmers in Kenya. The marketing systems are
also disorganized. Most of the trading takes place in
informal channels and systems. Value addition, when
it happens, is at the cottage level.
In view of its importance in improving household
nutrition, poverty alleviation and income generation,
1. Horticulture validated report, 2012.
2. Scaling out the benefits of TC banana technology in Kenya through the whole-valuechain model. A report on mapping out the status of banana production in Kenya – Africa
Harvest, May 2012.
Africa Harvest has over the last 10 years worked
on the banana value chain in nine banana growing
counties in Kenya, namely: Kiambu, Murang’a,
Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Embu, Meru, Tharaka Nithi,
Nyamira and Kisii.
The projects are designed to respond to many of
the challenges mentioned above and every project
addresses specific challenges related to its location.
Many organizations have funded various Africa
Harvest projects:
• Dupont-Pioneer Chura Community Tissue
Culture Project, implemented by Africa Harvest
in Kiambu County for 3 years (2004–2006).
• Rockefeller Foundation supported the banana
work in two phases. The first phase ran from
2004–2006, while the second phase ran from
2007–2009.
• The first phase, “Developing a Pro-Poor Tissue
Culture Banana Industry in Kenya” project was
implemented for three years (2004–2006) in
Murang’a and Meru Counties.
Left: Bananas being cleaned before they are dried and processed into porridge flour for children.
Food and Nutritional Security and Sustainable Livelihoods of Smallholders Program
9
• The second phase ran for a further two years
(2007–2009) and was meant to solidify the
work that had been done in the first phase, and
also expand to two new counties that had not
been covered in the first phase. The “Tilting the
Benefits of Tissue Culture Banana Technology to
Create a Sustainable, Poverty Alleviating Banana
Value Chain in Kenya” project was implemented
in Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Embu, Tharaka Nithi and
Meru Counties;
• The AGRA funded a two-year project, from the
year 2009 to 2011, designed to revitalize and
consolidate gains in the banana industry in
Kenya. This project was implemented in the Meru,
Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Kiambu, Embu, Tharaka
Nithi and Nyeri counties;
• The USAID-KHCP has funded banana work since
2011. The target counties are Nyeri, Kisii and Nyamira.
All projects are implemented based on Africa
Harvest’s whole-value-chain model which ensures
that identified bottlenecks receive appropriate
attention. The project implementation begins after
awareness creation on TC technology and its benefits
within the target communities. Farmers are organized
into cohesive production and marketing groups to
improve efficiency. These groups eventually function
as self-governing business units.
To show the superiority of TC technology, demonstrations are established in strategic areas. Planting materials derived from suckers are planted next to the TC
material as a control. The demonstrations also expose
the farmers to different banana varieties.
Building of cohesive farmer groups is critical to the
successful implementation of the projects. This
Left: Tony Aseta of Africa Harvest inspects a banana with
high pest infection in a farm in Kisii.
10
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
is done through regular training and mentoring of
mobilized groups on group management issues as
well as business skills. Farmers in business groups
that respond well to training and are cohesive,
function better, especially in the acquisition of inputs
and in marketing produce.
To improve access to clean planting materials,
entrepreneurs dealing with nursery materials are
supported through training on nursery management
and business skills. This has been necessary since for
the longest time, most of the TC banana propagators
have been within and around Nairobi, making it
difficult for many of the small-scale farmers to access
the TC planting material. To improve on market
access and linkages, the producer groups are trained
in business skills and also linked to banana traders
who operate in the big cities.
Impact of TC banana interventions
The use of TC plantlets as a source of clean planting
materials was introduced to Kenya banana farmers
in 1997. Africa Harvest has been in the fore front of
this work for the last 12 years. According to a nationwide baseline survey conducted by Africa Harvest in
2012 that mapped the status of banana production
in Kenya3, 35% of the farmers have started using the
technology in the last five years. This shows that the
level of knowledge on the need to use clean planting
seedlings at orchard establishments has been increasing
over time among smallholder banana farmers in Kenya.
Africa Harvest has directly worked with nearly 50,000
beneficiaries. To mobilize these direct beneficiaries,
over 200,000 were reached.
3. Scaling out the benefits of TC banana technology in Kenya through the whole value
chain model. A report on mapping out the status of banana production in Kenya – Africa
Harvest, May 2012.
Over 1 million TC banana seedlings have directly
been planted through all Africa Harvest projects. This
adoption increased the notional area under banana
to 762 ha. The beneficiaries invested Ksh 487 million
in orchard establishment costs.
Technology adoption continues steadily; Africa
Harvest estimates that there are 5.7 million TC
banana plants in the country.
A total of 388 demonstrations established on
farmers’ fields, over the years have played a great role
in improving acceptability of TC bananas among the
target communities.
To ensure sustainability, Africa Harvest has trained
1,616 farmers to backstop other banana farmers once
the projects end. They received intensive training
on capacity building in good agronomic practices in
banana farming and group management.
The other sustainability measure was the
establishment of satellite nurseries, as a way of
improving seedling access to the farmers. Twenty
four entrepreneurs have been supported to either
start or expand their banana seedling business. The
nurseries had an average holding capacity of 2,500
seedlings and sold 266,760 TC banana seedlings over
the years.
Africa Harvest works closely with key partners
in the implementation of the projects. The KARI
provides the necessary technical support while the
Ministry of Agriculture provides contact and links to
the target communities. The Ministry’s continued
support is critical especially once the project period
ends. Smallholder farmers in Kenya hold the two
organizations in high esteem and the success of
projects often hinges on endorsement by farmers.
Food and Nutritional Security and Sustainable Livelihoods of Smallholders Program
11
Testimony of how the positive impact
of tissue culture banana technology
continues to transform rural
livelihoods
My name is Liz Wangari Fundi, a small-scale
subsistence farmer, and beneficiary of the
AGRA-funded project
I am a wife, a mother of three, and a proud farmer. I
say proud because if it wasn’t for TC banana farming,
I would probably be working for somebody else,
perhaps cleaning houses for a living.
When my children were young, I was a subsistence
farmer focusing on maize and beans. Farming and my
husband’s small business made just enough money
to feed the family. I had also planted a few traditional
Liz (left) speaks to Wangari Kiragu of Africa Harvest
12
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
bananas which produced small bunches. I sold these
for Ksh 50 (less than half a US dollar) per bunch.
Occasionally, the bananas would produce a goodsize bunch which would fetch Ksh 100. However,
the broker would travel a short distance to the local
market and sell the very same bunch for Ksh 400.
I was a very bright student in high school.
Unfortunately, I got pregnant in high school and
dropped out. When I realized that my first-born
daughter was as intelligent as I was, I vowed that
my children would not only go to school, but that
they would pass well and further their studies to
university level. Although I had a vision to see them
succeed academically, the shortage of money in the
household made me fear my dream would never come
true. The maize and beans that I spent hours toiling
over did not bring regular income. If the rains failed,
Africa Harvest’s tissue culture banana project by Alliance for a Green Revolution in
Africa reaches 150,000 households
The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) funded a two-year project designed to revitalize
and consolidate gains in the banana industry in Central and Eastern Kenya. Through the project, Africa
Harvest reached 150,000 households, and five hardening nurseries with a holding capacity of 5,000
TC banana plantlets were facilitated, inspected, and certified by the KEPHIS.
The project optimized the banana whole-value-chain implementation strategy, which included
awareness creation with strategic partners, especially the Ministry of Agriculture. Networking and
mentoring of new farmers by established banana farmers fast-tracked the technology adoption. New
farmers were also linked to high quality planting materials from certified TC banana nurseries.
Entrepreneurs were also trained and supported to establish hardening nurseries closer to the
farmers. To ensure project sustainability, entrepreneurs and farmers were introduced to micro-finance
institutions like K-Rep and Equity Bank. Some well-established, large-scale farmers have contractual
relationships with private entrepreneurs who process value-added banana products.
Africa Harvest also linked farmers to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with expertise on water
management; many farmers have now been trained in water harvesting.
my husband and I would struggle to get enough
money to sustain the household.
In 2008, someone told me that some neighbors were
forming a group to deliberate on development matters.
When I went for the meeting, I was introduced to
Africa Harvest and the TC banana opportunity.
Most members of the group were retired. Being the
youngest, I was a bit intimidated. I however thought
to myself, “If these people have left employment and
chosen to farm, there must be something there”.
I was assisted in purchasing my first 60 banana
plantlets, and then I religiously implemented the
training I received from Africa Harvest. In December
2009, I harvested the first crop of 44 banana bunches
totaling 2,000 kg. They were bought at Ksh 12 per kg
giving me a profit of Ksh 24,000 (about US$ 300). I
have never received so much money from my farm.
Feeling encouraged, I reinvested and purchased 60
more plants, and continued until I had a plantation
of 360 at my farm. I now have over 500 TC bananas
on my three acre farm.
Africa Harvest taught me how to farm as a business.
It’s important to mention that my group and I were
determined not to sell any of our bananas to brokers.
Being in Kirinyaga, one of our challenges is that we
are not aware of the current market prices, making it
easy for brokers to exploit us. However, with the help
of Africa Harvest, we were able to access the market
in Nairobi.
Food and Nutritional Security and Sustainable Livelihoods of Smallholders Program
13
We were also empowered with information on
current market prices, enabling us to negotiate with
the buyers for the best price. As a group, we also had
large volumes of bananas, giving us more bargaining
power. Africa Harvest also encouraged us not to stick
with the initial buyers and introduced us to form
relationships with many buyers so that we could
negotiate the best price as a group. Our group also
became the first in the area to sell bananas according
to weight. This has now become the dominant way
of making sales.
Farming TC banana has transformed my life. When
I began making money from the crop, I did not only
reinvest in the farm, but I began to actualize my dream
of giving my children the best education. I moved
them from public schools into private schools. Let
me emphasize that the sole source of funds for their
private school education was the banana crop. I can
also say that the chicken and cows in my homestead
are because of TC bananas. Without regular income
from banana farming, I would have had to sell the
chicken and cows to educate my children.
Using the income, I also managed to bring electricity
to my house. After my children finish university,
my husband and I plan to construct a new home.
At first, my husband was skeptical of the TC banana
crop and told me that I was wasting my time tending
to it, as no crop from the farm could ever give us
good returns. He wanted us to plant maize or a more
popular cash crop. But I had a vision and I stuck to it.
When he saw the cash it was bringing me, he became
my number one supporter.
Africa Harvest Program Manager Mrs Wangari Kiragu trains farmers at the Homabay field day
14
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
Establishment of demonstration plots to showcase different varieties
Shortly after making sales from our first harvest, my
group decided that we needed to start raising funds
to sustain ourselves. The group began deducting 50
cents per kg, which progressed to Ksh 1 per kg with
time. At the end of the year, I received Ksh 20,000
from the savings, and those who produced more
received more. Members were so happy with the
lump sum payment; we are now saving Ksh 2 per kg.
Our group now has a nursery which supplies banana
seedlings to the community. We have also bought
land, upon which the county government will
construct a banana distribution facility for us. Some
members of our group rent out other people’s farms
to grow more TC bananas. We also have a microfinance project where we contribute money and
give loans to each other. Banana farming has really
reduced poverty in my community.
Words cannot express my gratitude to Africa
Harvest for the transformational work they did in
this community. Their field offices walked with us
through the entire journey, and assisted us at every
stage. Today, we are empowered with knowledge,
and are moving forward as a community. I hope that
they continue this work throughout the country, and
continue reaching other farmers to change lives.
Food and Nutritional Security and Sustainable Livelihoods of Smallholders Program
15
Technology Development and
Deployment Program
16
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
The Technology Development and Deployment Program seeks to encourage
technology identification, acquisition and deployment. Africa Harvest’s bouquet
of technologies is implemented with great sensitivity to gender and sociocultural issues. They are also HIV and AIDS responsive.
During the year under review, this program continued to implement the ABS
project. The project demonstrates that as biotechnology gains traction in Africa,
the Technology Development and Deployment Program will continue to provide
leadership in the development of target countries’ bio-safety and regulatory
framework, capacity building and technology transfer.
The Africa Biofortified Sorghum (ABS)
Project
Established in 2005, the ABS project, a public-private
consortium, is actively working to improve the
health and survival of millions of people who rely
on sorghum as their primary diet by enhancing its
nutritional quality through biofortification, with an
immediate target of increased and stabilized levels
of pro-vitamin A. In the near future, the focus will
expand to achieving enhanced bioavailability of zinc
and iron, and improved protein digestibility.
It is nearly a decade since the project started, but
the challenge of over 2 billion people facing
vitamin and mineral deficiencies remains. There
is now consensus that vitamin A and Zinc
supplementation should be a part of investment
in global development. Indeed micronutrient
focus contributes to the first five United Nations
(UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The MDG goals for nutrition improvement are
unlikely to be met by the deadline of 2015.
As part of its contribution to the nutrition challenge,
the ABS team targeted Nigeria and Kenya as initial
countries, with planned expansion in several
other countries in East and West Africa. Based
on conservative estimates, currently achievable
biofortified sorghum has the potential to contribute
35% to 60% of the recommended daily allowance of
vitamin A for children in Africa.
When the ABS project first started, its goal was to
develop sorghum that contains increased levels of
essential nutrients, especially vitamin A, iron and
zinc. DuPont Pioneer (the project technology partner)
has successfully led efforts resulting in transgenic
sorghum that contains pro-vitamin A, improved
sorghum protein quality, digestibility, and enhanced
iron and zinc availability.
In recent years, the project has narrowed its focus
to developing vitamin A enriched sorghum. The
purpose of the product development teams in Kenya
and Nigeria is to develop sorghum variety for Africa.
This is done through conducting CFTs where the ABS
Left: FOSEMS Project – Enhancing soil fertility management, compost pit in the foreground, through use of composting in
Makueni County.
Technology Development and Deployment Program
17
traits are backcrossed to popular African sorghum
varieties. The resultant hybrids are evaluated with
the objective of analyzing the performance and
the stability of the ABS traits in different genetic
backgrounds.
In addition, the trials also aim at analyzing the effect
of the nutritional genes on the fitness of hybrids of
ABS with wild relatives of sorghum. It is expected
that in the long term the results from this trial will
help in the alleviation of micro-nutrient deficiency in
Kenya, Nigeria, as well as in Africa at large.
Research objectives
• Develop and deploy sorghum with stabilized,
enhanced levels of pro-vitamin A
• Develop and deploy a final trait stack for enhanced
pro-vitamin A, increased bioavailability of iron
and zinc, and improved protein digestibility
• Incorporate nutritional traits into locally adapted
varieties for use by African farmers
• Develop seed production and product
dissemination through both farmer and
commercial systems
Scientists from Pioneer Dupont in USA and the institute for Agriculture Research (IAR) in Nigeria
are taken through the CFT in Kenya.
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Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
Research milestones
• Increased pro-vitamin A content in
sorghum
• Increased zinc and iron bioavailability
through phytate reduction
• Reduced the time required for sorghum
transformation by 60%, to four months
• Increased transformation success rate
in sorghum 100 times over previous
capabilities
• Improved protein digestibility levels after
cooking
• Adhered to transgenic biosafety principles
and best practices specific to Africa
• Conducted three cycles of CFTs in Kenya
and Nigeria with strict adherence to
stewardship and compliance protocols
• Continued capacity building among
African scientists and researchers
Confined field trials in Kenya
and Nigeria consolidate success
of the Africa biofortified
sorghum project
Project funder: DuPont Pioneer
During the year under review, the project
carried out four CFTs in Kenya for the period
ending December 2013. A fifth trial was
planned for the first quarter of 2014. In
Nigeria there were three CFTs with the fourth
trial scheduled for the first quarter of 2014.
The events in the Kenya CFT are ABS032
and ABS188. The first has enhanced protein
quality, protein digestibility, and elevated
What is a confined field trial?
A confined field trial (CFT) is a research experiment or a
contained field study of a genetically modified (GM) crop to
study environmental biosafety under regulated conditions.
GM crops are grown under field environmental conditions
also for collecting data to assess the performance of crop
under field or local conditions, yield, and germination. CFTs
are also done to generate event-specific biosafety data for
food safety and environmental safety assessments. They are
also used for introgression of novel traits into locally adapted
crop varieties, selection of superior genotypes for future
release, as well as to increase seeds of the target promising
GM crop before commercial approval.
The GM crops grown in the CFT are regulated; that is,
they have not been approved for commercialization and
therefore should not be consumed by humans or animals,
or be released into the environment. The food, feed, and
environment safety concerns of GM crops are mitigated
during laboratory, greenhouse and CFT studies, and
therefore do not enter the final food and feed chains.
Measures and conditions that are used to ensure regulatory
compliance with these confinement requirements are
categorized into both material confinement, and genetic
confinement, and follow both local and international
regulations.
Material confinement refers to the application of several
measures applied to ensure that all the sorghum plant
parts are confined to the experimental area, and are later
destroyed after the termination of the experimentation.
Genetic confinement (sometimes called reproduction
isolation) refers to mechanisms of hybridization barriers,
behaviors, and physiological processes that prevent the
members of two different species that cross or mate from
producing offspring, or which ensures that any offspring that
may be produced is not fertile.
Technology Development and Deployment Program
19
bioavailable zinc and iron. The second, ABS188, has
enhanced bioavailability of zinc and iron, as well as
pro-vitamin A. Backcrosses have been developed
between ABS032, and the recurring parent, KARI
Mtama I as well as for ABS188, and the recurring
parents, Gadam, KARI Mtama I, and Tegemeo. The
ABS032 trial is in its final season, while backcrosses
for ABS188 will be developed for two more seasons.
The events in the Nigeria CFT are ABS032 and ABS188.
ABS032 has enhanced protein quality, protein
digestibility, and bioavailable zinc and iron. ABS188
on the other hand, has enhanced bioavailability
of zinc and iron, and pro-vitamin A. Backcrosses
have been developed between ABS032 and the
three recurring parents or local sorghum cultivars:
SAMSORG14, SAMSORG17, and SAMSORG40.
One key objective of the year under review was to
backcross and evaluate the agronomic performance
of ABS traits (iron, zinc and pro-vitamin A) from
ABS188 to obtain BC1 seeds, and ABS032 in African
sorghum varieties. Here, the performances of ABS032
BC3, BC4, and BC5 with KARI Mtama 1, and ABS032
as control were evaluated, and ABS188 F1 plants
were backcrossed to KARI Mtama 1, Tegemeo and
Gadam to produce ABS BC1 seeds.
The second CFT trial was harvested at the end of
January 2013, the third CFT was planted at the end
of February 2013, and the fourth, in August 2013.
Another project objective was to backcross ABS188
BC1 plants to KARI Mtama 1, Tegemeo and Gadam
to produce ABS188 BC2 seeds, and to evaluate the
performance of ABS032 BC3, BC4, and BC5 with
KARI Mtama 1 and ABS032 as control. This was
meant to evaluate ABS trait stability for at least four
generations.
Phosphomannose isomerase (PMI) strips showing results from crosses of KARI Mtama 1 and ABS188 F1 generation.
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Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
ABS Team in Nigeria after a strategic meeting.
Dr Obukosia training the ABS team on CFT management.
Technology Development and Deployment Program
21
Prof Daniel Aba, the ABS project
Cordinator, with Prof Mohamed
Falaki, IAR Director.
The project also sought to assess the effect of
nutritional genes on the fitness of hybrids between
ABS188, and wild relatives of sorghum (S. halepense,
S. arundinaceum and S. sudanense).
To confirm and ensure the continued presence of
target genes in the sorghum crop under trial, a
Phosphomannose isomerase (PMI) test was routinely
carried out in the field. Crops that did not have the
target gene were uprooted and destroyed. PMI testing
is efficient and accurate, and relies on the fact that
the PMI gene was used as the selectable marker for
the ABS188 nutritional traits. The presence of the
marker-gene is assayed using a lateral flow strip that
has anti-bodies specific to the protein, coupled to a
color reagent. When the lateral flow strip is placed in
a small amount of tissue that contains PMI protein,
binding occurs between the coupled anti-body and the
protein. These capture zones display a reddish color
22
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
when the sandwich and/ or reacted colored reagents
are captured in the specific zones in the membrane.
The presence of only one line (the control line) on
the membrane indicates a negative sample, and the
presence of two lines indicates a positive sample.
Laboratory analysis of ABS032 backcrosses was also
conducted to confirm the presence of ABS genes.
With regard to capacity building, the CFT experiments
have provided an excellent platform to train and
build the capacity of communication practitioners,
scientists, and researchers from the partnering
institutions. Before and during planting and
harvesting, project teams went through structured
learning that covered, among others things, the
following topics: Overview of biosafety and the
role of regulatory institutions in different countries;
the importance of adhering to biosafety laws and
regulations of GMOs; ABS project CFT case studies;
handling of transgenic material; procedures for
collecting data in the field; and CFT communication
and issues management.
The project has made good progress and is focusing
on a product that has only pro-vitamin A for early
commercialization. ABS188 will undergo two more
CFTs in Africa before being phased out, while ABS203
will go for CFTs during 2014.
The success achieved during the period under review
can be attributed to strong collaboration among
several institutions namely: The Kenya Agricultural
Research Institute (KARI), the Institute of Agricultural
Research of Nigeria (IAR), the University of Nairobi’s
Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection, the
National Biosafety Authority of Kenya (NBA), the
Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services (KEPHIS),
the National Biotechnology Development Agency of
Nigeria (NABDA), and Africa Harvest Biotechnology
Foundation International (AHBFI).
Harvesting of ABS sorghum in Kenya's CFT.
ABS staff in Kenya being trained on biosafety and communication.
Technology Development and Deployment Program
23
Natural Resource
Management Program
24
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
Innovative bio-digesters help improve
rural communities’ health and protect
the environment
Project funder: Grand Challenge Canada (GCC)
Firewood and charcoal provide the basic energy needs
of most of the rural communities in Africa. In Kenya,
increased poverty has increased dependence on these
two energy sources and 84% of the population uses
solid fuels.
In the rural areas women travel long distances, often
on foot, searching for dried figs and branches in the
rural forests, while in the urban, and peri-urban
poor and informal settlements, deforestation for
firewood and charcoal production remains a major
problem. While the focus has been on damage to
the environment, little is discussed about indoor air
pollution caused by the smoke from the burning biomass. Bio-mass produces high levels of household air
pollution with a range of health-damaging pollutants,
including a complex mixture of gases and small
soot particles that penetrate deep into the lungs.
In poorly ventilated dwellings, indoor smoke can be
100 times higher than acceptable levels for small
particles. Exposure is particularly high among women
and young children, who spend the most time near
the domestic hearth, leading to the occurrence
of moderate to severe chronic respiratory tract
infections. This was one of the many concerns for
the GCC to fund Africa Harvest’s pilot project, which
seeks to develop and promote local and sustainable
fuel sources.
Left: One of the recipient farmers checks
on the biogas digester.
Promoting bio-gas digesters is one of the affordable
and sustainable options. It helps reduce reliance on
firewood. Sensitization was done to 1,529 community
members in three sub-counties of Kiambu County in
Kenya on the impacts of indoor air pollution, and 20
bio-digester plants were installed. These acted as
demonstration units to illustrate the effectiveness of
the bio-gas units in reducing smoke related disease
incidences and demonstrating the benefits of the
digested bio-slurry in improving crop productivity,
nutrition and other economic benefits.
Bio-gas holds a great opportunity, especially for
our small-scale farmers, says Africa Harvest Project
Manager, Ms. Doreen Marangu. The total cost
of installation of a household plant is Ksh 60,000
(CAD 725) while the relatively larger institutional
plant is Ksh 143,000 (CAD 1,728). The Project’s
household beneficiaries are saving up to US$ 10
that could otherwise have been spent on health care
and medication and US$ 15.3 to US$ 29.4 every
month which would otherwise have been spent
on fuel. Other benefits include increased vegetable
production for household consumption with surplus
being sold locally to generate income. In addition
community sensitization activities on the use of biogas as well as bio-slurry resulted in improvement in
crop and livestock husbandry. Youths who received
training on the installation, repair and maintenance
of the plants turned that into a gainful employment
opportunity.
After awareness creation, the community members
registered demand of 232 household installations.
Likewise, with the demand steadily growing, 23
institutions have expressed wiliness to adopt the
bio-digesters technology; an indication that the
affordable bio-digesters are addressing an important
need in society. The project has demonstrated proof
Natural Resource Management Program
25
that promoting the use of bio-gas from affordable
bio-digesters is a sustainable option for clean
household energy that offers several benefits that
include: Clean and healthy household environments
and hence eliminating the potential of respiratory
tract infections amongst household members;
environmental conservation by the reduction of
deforestation due to the reduction and potential
elimination of the usage of solid fuels as a source of
energy; and improved household food and nutritional
security as well as economic benefits due to the
use of the digested bio-slurry in improving crop
production.
If the project is embraced across Kenya, we could see
a sharp reduction in deforestation and CO2 emission.
Fewer people will be exposed to indoor air pollution,
and the use of bio-slurry will improve crop yields and
substitute chemical fertilizers with proper original
substrate, digester type and anaerobic process.
Case study: Karai Secondary School
Karai Secondary, a boys and girls school is one of
the five institutional beneficiaries of the affordable
bio-digesters project. The school is home to 341
students who spend nine months a year there. Earlier,
they used to buy firewood and charcoal, which are
primarily used for cooking.
Being a public institution with great influence in
the community, Africa Harvest decided to set up a
demonstration bio-digester at the school to create
Karai Secondary school students work on their vegetable garden, which uses manure from the bio-digesters.
26
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
wider access for the public to learn of the benefits
of this technology. “The bio-gas plant has reduced
our dependence on firewood greatly, we only have
three cows and already, we are thinking of expanding.
The high quality fertilizer from the bio-slurry is now
our only source of manure”, says one of the teachers.
Students studying agriculture as an elective subject
also took part in putting up the pilot plant and were
taught how to maintain the bio-digesters.
Case study: Mr Evans and Mrs Ann
Wanjiki Njenga
As a couple, 2013 has been the most challenging year
we have experienced. I am a self-employed farmer
and also make a living offering commuter services
using a motor bike, more commonly known as boda
boda in my local community. Our children are grown
up and each has their own family. It’s only me and
my wife at home.
My wife manages the home and looks after the
three cows we own. One of her greatest challenges
has always been cooking. The traditional kitchen
is located in an outside room and consists of the
traditional three-stoned stove, fuelled by firewood
and sometimes charcoal. It takes a long time to get a
fire started and when lit, it produces a lot of smoke,
causing my wife to consistently sneeze and cough
while cooking. She used to take various medications
for chest-related complications, and I would often
find her in tears with a running nose owing to smoke
inhalation.
The Njengas discuss their vegetable garden.
Natural Resource Management Program
27
My wife broke her leg early in the year, completely
incapacitating her and leaving all the household
duties and responsibilities to me. Before she got
injured, she would do all the household chores on
her own.
To prepare meals, she would have to source the fuel
wood from the market. The other available option
is charcoal, but this is more expensive. Charcoal is
purchased at the cost of Ksh 200 per 20 liter tin (0.71
cubic feet) at the nearest market. Firewood is either
scavenged from the forest or one can buy a bundle
of wood that lasts two days at the cost of Ksh 200.
We used to spend about Ksh 600 a week on fuel
for cooking. My wife used to spend about two or
three hours to light the fire and cook. I took over her
Mrs Njenga using smoke-free bio-gas powered stove.
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Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
responsibilities, which included cleaning the house,
tending to the animals, buying water when it ran
out, and buying all our food, especially vegetables
from the market. I was a very frustrated husband
when I took over all these duties. To help ease the
burden, a friend helped me purchase a water tank to
harvest water.
It was also a dream come true when Africa Harvest,
in collaboration with the Ministry of Health through
the Department of Public Health, held sensitization
workshops in the area, focusing on the impact of
indoor air pollution. They highlighted what causes air
pollution, especially the production of smoke while
cooking using traditional sources of energy such as
charcoal and firewood. They also highlighted the
health implications of cooking in smoky kitchens.
I had witnessed my wife’s respiratory challenges and
also started getting affected when I took over her
duties. I was therefore excited when Africa Harvest
said they were looking for farmers in the area who
owned and zero-grazed at least one cow, and were
willing to install a bio-digester for improved health.
I did not have a problem with the condition that I
open my home, so that others in the community
could learn from the demo.
sits comfortably on her plastic chair and lights the
gas stove and cooks all meals comfortably. Cooking
is now fast and easy.
My wife and I have learned about the difference between using clean renewable energy, and “traditional”
forms of energy. As a couple, we learned that the
bio-gas produced from the bio-digester could be connected to a stove and used to cook at a much quicker
pace than the traditional jiko. We also use the bioslurry as fertilizer for our kitchen garden, which had
never been cultivated owing to poor soil conditions.
The benefits of bio-gas have also been extended to
better environmental conservation in our homestead.
We used to chop down trees for firewood but we
no longer do so. In fact, we have planted trees and
look forward to seeing them grow, which was never
possible when we relied on them for firewood. We no
longer have to go to the forest to scavenge for wood,
or go to the market to buy wood or charcoal for
cooking. So in addition to saving the environment,
we have saved a lot of money.
The installation was quick. It was completed in one
day. We were then shown how to use it and within
five days, the bio-digester was producing gas. The
bio-digester requires us to mix the raw dung from our
three cows in a drum with some water. The mixture
must be stirred well. This is then poured into the
inlet. Through fermentation of the raw dung, bio-gas
is produced. After some time, the bio-slurry begins
pouring out of the outlet end of the bio-digester.
Through pipes that have been connected from the
bio-digester to the kitchen, bio-gas flows into the
kitchen stove. Our life has changed greatly!
Since my wife’s leg healed, she has returned to her
duties. She used to wake up at 4.00 a.m. to milk
the cows and afterwards, light the fire and begin
preparing breakfast. Now, she wakes up at 5.00 a.m.,
milks the cows, and breakfast is ready by 6.00 a.m.
She no longer wheezes and sneezes through the
cooking process. In fact, she just enters the kitchen,
Certain staple foods and traditional dishes such as
maize and beans used to take three hours to cook
on the traditional stove. Now, using the new bio-gas
powered stove, the food is ready in one hour or less.
Even a task like warming tea has now been made
simple, and takes less than five minutes.
We used to sell milk to get money to buy fuel for
cooking, dried foods, and fresh vegetables from
the market. However since the bio-digester was
installed, we have also stopped buying most of our
cooking vegetables. Africa Harvest showed us how
to use the bio-slurry to improve the soil fertility. We
have planted vegetables such as carrots, spinach,
maize and onions for the first time in our kitchen
garden ensuring our household food security. From
the money we have saved, we have purchased more
water tanks, and no longer worry about having
enough water to cater for household needs, even in
times of drought.
The biggest beneficiary however, has been our
health. We used to spend a lot of time cooking in
the kitchen, and walking to the market. If my wife
bought firewood from the market, she would have
Natural Resource Management Program
29
to carry it home on her back. In fact, the amount
of wood she could buy was dictated by how much
she could carry home in one trip. The same goes
for water. When she had to buy water, she would
carry it home, putting a great strain on her body. We
feel we have been physically liberated from carrying
goods a long distance.
Impact of sand dams on the women of
Mulala and Wote in Makueni County
The project was funded by the Italian Government
through the Italian Development Cooperation and
the International Fund for Agricultural Development
Kamunyi sand dam in Wote.
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Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
(IFAD), in 2010 with the goal of poverty reduction,
increasing incomes and improving nutrition through
sustainable development and ecosystem.
A baseline survey was conducted and looked at
the following components: water (conservation,
harvesting and management), dryland cereals
and legumes, soil fertility and natural resource
management, short-cycle livestock and horticultural
crops. Some of the challenges identified in the survey
were poor natural resource management, soil erosion
and infertility, food insecurity, and a high school
drop-out rate.
One of the components to the project was water
management and construction of water structures
in the target areas. Water is very scarce for both
domestic use and for livestock. This need was
identified during the project design phase and
confirmed through baseline findings.
Sand dams were identified as the choice technology
to address this need, by the community during
consultative meetings organized by the project
team to incorporate community views in the
implementation. Sand dams contribute in recharging
the water table in an area as compared to boring
holes which leads to lowering of the water tablethrough extraction.
How the water dam changed the life of Alice Kakui, wife and mother of six
I have been living in Mulala, Makueni County since 1983, when I got married. The move to my marital home
was quite the culture shock for me. Having originated from the Rift Valley where climatic conditions make
farming easy, I was surprised that my new home area was very dry. Rainfall was inconsistent and hunger was
common in many households. My husband is in the army and was posted to the Rift Valley, leaving me and
the children alone in Mulala. At one point, my family urged me to leave the area and return to them, but I was
determined to stay with my husband and make the most of my new home.
Water is life and no home can run without it. So I used to wake up at 5am in the morning to fetch some for my
family. I would take six to eight 20 liter jerry cans with me and walk for an hour in the darkness to the nearest
water source, which is a public well. I’m not sure how far the well was in kilometers, but it was a two hour walk
to and from, not counting the time taken to fetch the water. Unlike a river which has fresh flowing water, a
well’s water is stagnant, so the best thing to do is to scoop the top layer of water off and throw it away so that
the fresh water can rise up. However, I didn’t have the time for that as I had children waiting for me at home.
In addition, many of us in the community depended on that well and we could not afford to waste any water.
Owing to the competition for water and the high demand, I could not fill all my jerry cans at one go as
someone would steal the full ones as I filled the empty ones. So I would have to fill one, and carry it a long
distance to hide it in the bush, then go back and fill the second, until they were all full. I had to carry all that
water on my back. This meant I could not carry all the jerry cans at once. I would have to carry one or two
home from the hiding place and return for the rest, one by one. It was tiring work.
There were also many risks involved in fetching water from the well. Meeting with wild animals on the path
was the most common risk, in addition to being chased by rabid dogs. If these dogs managed to chase you
Natural Resource Management Program
31
down, all you could do is scream for help and hope that someone nearby will hear you. It being dark before
the sun comes up, they would rely on your screams to trace your location.
In addition, some men with ill intentions used to sleep or chew khat (miraa) by the well. When you got there
to fetch water, you could not be sure of their intentions and many of us women would hide, watch and listen
to establish whether it was safe to approach. Unfortunately, some women were also bitten by snakes as
they hid in the bush, and the consequences of a snake bite can be very severe in this harsh environment.
Losing a limb or the ability to walk can be a death sentence in this harsh land. I would often hear stories of
women who were raped as they went to fetch water. I know a few who conceived following these attacks
and have had to raise the children as their own.
Elderly women in this area used to advise us to carry hand woven baskets (kiondo) on our heads or around
our necks. These baskets were the only defence we had from hyena attacks. When the hyena attacked, it
aimed to bite your neck and snap off your head, but it would latch its teeth in the basket instead and run off
with it, sparing your life.
Fortunately, with time and an increase in human population in this area, the incidences of human-wildlife
conflict have decreased as wild animals have been pushed back. Competition among us for the limited water
resource didn’t make life any easier. One could get to the well only to find that one or two women woke up
before you and were already there, fetching water. This would mean that you would have to wait for them to
finish before getting your turn. Sometimes, the water in the well would run out before your turn in line came
up. Other times, you would only get back home from the well at noon, meaning the children would miss
school and no one at home would have eaten all morning. It also meant that my responsibilities as the woman
of the house such as cleaning, washing clothes, and tilling the land would not have been attended to.
The water fetching cycle would repeat itself every two to three days and if you gave some to the livestock,
it would run out even sooner. Often, after fetching water, one would have to take the animals to the nearest
river to get a drink. By the time you returned home, it was time to prepare dinner as the children would have
returned from school.
The only relief from having to fetch water from the well came with the rains. When it rained, we could put basins
outside or dig trenches to trap the run-off. However, this water would often be dirty and had very limited use.
Then one day, Africa Harvest staff and a team from IFAD came and addressed the community. They told
us that they would build a sand dam in the area following a request from some of our community members.
We were exceptionally skeptical. We did not believe that they would be able to succeed as others had
come before them and made similar promises, to no avail. It took some convincing but eventually, fellow
community members they had been working with on other aspects of the project, convinced us of their
sincerity and we gave them our support. With the community’s help, a sand dam was constructed and the
impact of the completed dams was immediate.
It now takes 30 minutes for me to fetch water and return home. This means that I now have the time to run
my home the way I feel it should be run. My children never miss school and I don’t have to wake up at the
crack of dawn to get water. The Africa Harvest staff consulted us throughout the entire process of building
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Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
the dam, so it was built in such a way that animals can also drink from it since the dam is fitted with an uptake
well and a pump. Now it takes only 20 minutes to get livestock a drink of water.
The time saved in my tasks, including getting water to the animals, has allowed me to start a small business.
I now go to Emali town, buy vegetables and sell them to my neighbors back home, and still have enough
time to cater to my responsibilities. My fellow women also say they have been liberated by the dam. They
can now finish their chores early and use their time farming or doing whatever other activity they feel will
benefit their family.
A mother’s pride is her home and her children, and before the dam, it was hard to keep the children and
home clean owing to the scarcity of water. Children used to go to school dirty and smelling, and the teachers
could not even complain because they knew of the challenges we faced. However, the dam has empowered
us to keep very clean homes and children. My husband also leaves the house looking smart and that gives
me a lot of pride.
My only request to Africa Harvest is to continue with the good work they are doing and scale it up. We women
carry such a burden in the name of fetching water, and being liberated from that time consuming endeavor
brings me great joy. Our community is expanding and others in this county, which suffers from inconsistent
rainfall, could really benefit from the project. I am looking forward to joining one of the groups formed in my
area so I can benefit from the other aspects of the project that were implemented in this area such as keeping
chicken and farming sorghum.
Alice Kakui giving
her testimony
during a community
consultation meeting
with the project donor.
Natural Resource Management Program
33
Agricultural Markets and
Policy Program
34
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
Unlocking value for farmers by
improving competitiveness of banana
value-chain in Kisii and Nyamira
Counties
Project funder: USAID-KHCP
Africa Harvest has worked with over 100,000
smallholder households that grow bananas in different
parts of Kenya in a bid to improve productivity. This
has been done through improving farmers’ access
to clean planting materials, building their capacity
in banana orchard establishment and management,
besides building the necessary linkages to markets
and input suppliers. These farmers have planted over
1 million TC bananas over the last eight years.
In April 2011, Africa Harvest partnered with
USAID-KHCP in Kisii and Nyamira Counties, in a
project that is improving the competitiveness of the
banana value-chain. The role of Africa Harvest is
to build the capacity of at least 9,000 smallholder
farmers to increase banana productivity from the
current 15 tons/ ha to about 25 tons/ ha. This will
be done through training in orchard establishment
and management, linking the farmers to sources of
TC bananas, and helping them to aggregate their
produce to attract serious traders.
Construction of collection centers to shield farmers
from elements of weather helps achieve the goal
of aggregation. As part of developing a sustainable
community infrastructure, Africa Harvest also
works with owners of hardening nurseries to meet
the growing need of TC banana materials. This is
supported by “soft skills” that include training
farmers to negotiate with traders. Farmers and
traders have also been trained to trade by weight
instead of by quantity; the latter is inaccurate and
fails to unlock full value for farmers.
Africa Harvest engaged with stakeholders in the
banana value-chain in the two counties. These
stakeholders were identified through the help of
the Ministry of Agriculture’s extension officers.
Awareness meetings were held at the sub-county
level. It is at this point that champion farmers,
hardening nursery owners and farmer groups
interested in farming bananas commercially were
identified. The meetings were interactive, and as
Africa Harvest presented the project goals and
objectives, the stakeholders were able to articulate
the challenges that face the banana value-chain.
The methodology of implementation was to call up
the group leaders, entrepreneurs and lead farmers,
and set up initial meetings with them. From these
initial meetings, regular training meetings were set
up. The groups meet at least once every month.
Other training targets specific stakeholders such as
nursery entrepreneurs. The training follows the crop
cycle while the implementation is along the wholevalue-chain.
The main challenges affecting the banana value-chain
in this region include limited access to clean planting
materials, poor agronomic practices, disorganized
marketing, and high prevalence of pests and diseases
in the orchards. Africa Harvest is responding to
these challenges by training and mentoring nursery
entrepreneurs and farmers; the support is in the
form of technical training and infrastructure. The
project identifies the area of most need among the
entrepreneurs, and provides the necessary support.
Left: Sorghum ready for market at Kibaigwa in Dodoma, Tanzania, UNDP AFIM Sorghum for Regional Trade Project.
Agricultural Markets and Policy Program
35
Tissue culture banana nursery business helps country entrepreneurs
turn their lives around
When Hezbon Siocha started working as a casual laborer at the Agricultural Training Center in Kisii, he casually told
his boss that he had experience in managing seedling nurseries. He was immediately tasked with taking care of the
institution’s fruit and tree nursery among other duties.
Around that time, Hezbon belonged to a 15 member youth group known as the Irianye Youth Self Help Group.
They had come together in 2006 with the intention of setting up a fruit nursery; but they were in the process of
disintegrating because they did not have the resources to power their vision. Hezbon had decided to carry on the
vision as an individual. He and his wife decided to put together the little money they had, and set up a nursery. They
leased some land near the road and used an old mosquito net as their first shade net. When some thieves stole
everything at the nursery, they decided to move the nursery to the family homestead.
An Africa Harvest team was told about Hezbon, and went to visit him in early 2013. Although he had an unkempt
nursery, he used to harden and sell about 5,000 TC banana seedlings during the rainy season. In addition to
bananas, he also sold grafted avocado seedlings. His source of water was a shallow well at the foot of the
nursery. Hezbon indicated that although he was selling a total of 10,000 seedlings per year, he was not making
sustainable profit. However, he felt the business had potential and could benefit from Africa Harvest’s work with key
entrepreneurs in the banana value-chain in Kisii and Nyamira Counties.
Mr Hezbon Siocha displays his TC banana plantlets.
Africa Harvest helped Hezbon expand his nursery and
provided him with a new shade net. He is now able to
produce 10,000 TC banana seedlings. He also benefited
from a 1,000 liter storage tank, hose pipe, wheel burrow,
a watering can, and 5,000 potting sleeves. Between
the short rains of October 2013 and April 2014, Hezbon
sold a total of 17,500 TC banana seedlings, valued at
Ksh 1.75 million. His profit in those seven months was
Ksh 210,000. Most of the seedlings have been bought by
farmer groups, individual farmers, and large corporations
like the County Governments of Kisii and Nyamira
Counties.
Hezbon is happy with the progress of the business
and is planning to increase his seedling production to
about 40,000 every rainy season. On a personal front,
he is able to educate his children and plans to build a
permanent house for his family. The greatest challenge
for his business is the inconsistent supply of seedlings
by the propagators. “I can easily leave my employment
to do this business full time if there would be assurance
of consistent supply of seedlings by the propagators”,
he says.
36
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
Banana collection and marketing
center – Moitunya in Nyamira County
different ways of bringing farmers together to help
negotiate better prices with traders.
Limited or non-existent marketing linkages are often
cited by farmers as the greatest challenge to farming
commercially. It is no different in Kisii and Nyamira
Counties. Disorganized marketing was the most
cited challenge by the stakeholders when Africa
Harvest conducted a reconnaissance study at the
beginning of the project in January 2013.
Since the establishment of the collection center,
the group has been making a monthly turnover of
between Ksh 150,000 and Ksh 200,000, earning
them approximately Ksh 1 million from the sale of
nearly 30 tons of green bananas. They primarily sell
their bananas to traders in Kisumu and Nairobi.
Identifying gaps and strengthening market linkages in
the banana value-chain is therefore one of the three
key objectives of the project in Kisii and Nyamira
Counties. Part of the intervention involves training
farmers to aggregate the green banana produce in
order to attract serious buyers. Farmers are trained
to negotiate for better prices, especially when they
are able to supply large quantities. Where possible,
Africa Harvest is helping project beneficiaries
construct aggregation centers; these are facilities
with a small office and which can hold over 5 tons
of bananas.
One such center is the
Moitunya Banana Collection
and Marketing Center. It
draws farmers from the three
neighboring villages, all within
a radius of 6 kms. It is located
strategically along a major
highway. Initially, the farmers
came together to support each
other through a “merry-goround” savings scheme. The
119 members used to sell their
bananas along the roads or at
farm-gates. The group, now
known as KEMAMA, sought
Besides the collection center, the group has benefited
from technical training. For sustainability purposes,
leaders have been selected and trained, so that they
can help in future capacity building as the project
expands. As part of capacity building, selected
members also traveled to Murang’a and Kirinyaga in
November 2013 for an exchange workshop. The aim
of the visit was to expand the Kisii farmers’ vision by
seeing how farmers from these two regions – through
support from Africa Harvest – have succeeded in
making banana an important cash crop.
The banana collection center at Moitunya in Nyamira.
Agricultural Markets and Policy Program
37
Increasing sorghum productivity to
improve food security and income
generation
Project funder: UNDP, AFIM catalytic fund
Implementation of the two-year marketing and
Regional Trade targeting project in Sorghum
commenced in September, 2012, and was designed
to improve household food security and the income
generation of 2,000 rural, smallholder farmers in
Kenya and Tanzania.
In Kenya, the target beneficiaries were drawn from
Tharaka and Makueni Counties, while in Tanzania,
the Serengeti, Dodoma, and Manyara regions were
the project focus-areas. Farmers were identified
and selected from the larger pool of beneficiaries
mobilized through the EU /IFAD funded Sorghum for
Multiple Use (SMU) project, which was implemented
by Africa Harvest in partnership with the ICRISAT, in
the two countries.
Two approaches guiding project implementation
were the whole-value-chain approach, and inclusive
market development. The aggregator model was
selected to enhance access to end-user markets. The
main activities of the project included conducting
a baseline study and analysis of findings to inform
project implementation, monitoring and evaluation,
characterizing demand for sorghum among potential
commercial off-takers, awareness creation and
sensitization, enhancing access to quality planting
materials, training beneficiaries to improve production
and productivity, linking smallholder farmers to
markets for surplus grain through the aggregator
model, facilitating regional trade, and monitoring
project activities.
38
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
By definition, an aggregator model is an electroniccommerce business model where a firm that does
not produce or warehouse any item, collects or
aggregates information on goods and/ or services
from several competing sources on its website. Since
2009, Africa Harvest has adapted various iterations
of this model in the production and marketing of
sorghum among smallholder farmer groups in the
ASALs of both Kenya and Tanzania. The adaptation
spans the expanse of direct intervention by Africa
Harvest in service provision to the current iteration,
where an entrepreneurial sorghum farmer/ trader is
identified and supported to provide both downstream
(input services to farmers), and upstream (linkage to
market) services, on a commercial basis.
The project’s goal was to sustainably address
household food and nutritional insecurity, incomes,
natural resource management, and the overall
development agenda by empowering smallholder
farmers who are organized into development and
commercially-focused smallholder production and
marketing groups (SHPMs). Using a market-pull
strategy, Africa Harvest worked with the SHPMs to
align downstream value-chain activities to specific
end-market demand parameters (variety, quality,
quantity, timeliness, and consistency).
The process starts with the identification of a ready
market where demand outstrips supply, with the
household as a critical first stop. Experience has
shown that risk-adverse smallholder farmers will
first produce that which satisfies their needs at the
household level before producing for the markets.
The ASAL areas mentioned above are all remote
rural areas, lacking in good infrastructure (road and
communication networks), having limited options
for livelihood support, and generally neglected in
drought tolerant crops like sorghum
and cowpea. Communities living
in these areas have limited options
for commercial crop production.
Given the over-reliance on rain fed
agriculture, the opportunity exists
to intensify production of cereals
like sorghum with the right tools,
technology, skills, and knowledge.
These rural areas are home to 70%
of the entire population in Africa
and will continue to play a critical
role in feeding rising populations
in the future. However, due to the
high cost of transactions involved
– transportation, time, and wear
and tear – the dispersed pattern
of habitation and dilapidated road
network in these rural areas does
not make a compelling business case
for the traditional business person.
The changing weather patterns,
especially the incidence of drought
have also rendered these areas more
disenfranchised, given the dearth
of risk mitigation tools, limited
knowledge, and skills to enhance
adaptation and coping mechanisms.
Following repeated adaptation by
Africa Harvest in the course of
implementing various development
Sorghum stored in readiness for transportation to the market in Kibaigwa,
Dodoma, Tanzania (above), and a project beneficiary in Tharaka, Kenya, with a
projects, the aggregator model
motorbike purchased from the sale of grain through the project linkages.
was identified as a good option
in addressing the gulf between
development initiatives. Nonetheless, these areas
end-user markets (excess demand)
have huge tracts of idle and virgin land that are good
and smallholder farmers (lacking in capacity and
for agriculture and get sufficient rains to sustain
motivation to produce for commercial markets).
Agricultural Markets and Policy Program
39
End-user markets require commercial
quantities of raw materials at
reasonable input prices, while
farmers need access to inputs
(improved
seeds),
information,
capacity building, and aggregation
of low produce quantities into
commercially feasible units as well
as land preparation, harvesting, and
threshing facilities.
The aggregator model therefore
brings efficiency to the value-chain,
especially in remote locations,
by providing access to inputs
required to increase production
and productivity. It also facilitates
access to markets through business
development. The model provides a
central point through which financial
intermediation, targeting smallholder
farmers as well as other value-chain
role players, can be connected with
minimal cost related to infrastructure
development.
In addition, the aggregator model
requires an ecosystem of subaggregators or traders scattered
around the remote villages that
provide sub-aggregation services
(buying of marketable produce) for
a fee. This helps make the entire Mature sorghum crop (above); and mechanical threshing and cleaning of sorghum
system inclusive and sustainable. in readiness for the market.
The sub-aggregators create local
employment as they need labor to pack and load the
produce onto trucks. They are also part of an efficient
aggregator model should be strengthened to ensure
system through which farmers in remote villages can
the provision of all services required by smallholder
access seeds and other inputs. In view of all this, the
farmers.
40
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
The brief summary of achievements
of the AFIM-UNDP project
Key achievements include: enhanced awareness
among smallholder farmers, of availability of regional
markets for sorghum grain (15,000 farmers sensitized); identified and enhanced access to improved
seeds for 2500 smallholder farmers in both Kenya
and Tanzania; enhanced capacity of these farmers
to increase production and productivity of sorghum from 450 kgs/acre to over 1000 kgs/acre
(on average); increase in the quantity of sorghum
grain reaching commercial markets by 129% (from
2,388 MT to 5469 MT) in Kenya and Tanzania; and
enhanced capacity of aggregators to provide services to farmers through direct facilitation and
linkage with financial service providers. The total
volume of sorghum grain delivered to East African
Malting limited by the 5 aggregators working with
the project was 5469 MT. This grain has a market
value of Ksh 180,477,000 or US$ 2,123,258. The
total amount made by smallholder farmers was US$
1,544,188 (72.7% of the market value of the grain
traded).
The increase by 3,081 MT of sorghum grain reaching
markets during phase I of project implementation,
which is valued at US$ 1,196,153, is a good indicator
of the value adds ensuing from AFIM’s intervention
in the sorghum value-chain. This represents a 697%
return on the catalytic funds invested within a period
of 12 months.
Challenges that were encountered during project
implementation included limited access to quality
certified sorghum seeds, especially in Kenya.
In addition, unreliable rainfall patterns limited
productivity, while limited financing to promote
commercial sorghum enterprises and a small pool of
commercial off-takers of quality sorghum continue to
remain challenges.
Agricultural Markets and Policy Program
41
Strengthening smallholder farmers’
participation in the sorghum valuechain in Tanzania and Kenya
Agricultural product value-chains exist to generate
economic as well as social value for all stakeholders
involved. However, the capacity of smallholder
farmers to sustainably derive as much value as
possible is hampered by the limited organizational
capacity of farmer groups, limited business skills and
inability to leverage their collective ability to engage
and influence markets. Enhancing the capacity of
smallholder farmers to fully exploit opportunities in
product value-chains is critical.
This can be achieved through capacity strengthening,
development of requisite skills and enhancing the
ability to operate as development units. This has a
direct impact on food and nutrition security, income
generation and overall economic development.
Africa
Harvest – in
partnership
with
the
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
(IITA) – implemented a 16-month project (July 2013
to December 2014) funded by the IFAD. The two
country project targeted over 100 farmers in Tanzania
and Kenya, and the focus was on organizational
strengthening and enterprise development.
Target beneficiaries were drawn from Rombo, Moshi
and Mwanga areas in Tanzania as well as Embu,
Meru and Tharaka Nithi Counties in Kenya. All
beneficiaries belonged to groups formed during the
implementation of two projects previously funded by
IFAD. These were the Agricultural Marketing Systems
Development Program (AMSDP) implemented
between 2003 and 2009 in Tanzania and the Mount
Kenya East Pilot Project on Natural Resources
42
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
Management (MKEPP) implemented
between 2004 and 2013.
in
Kenya
Apart from strengthening enterprise development
capacity of smallholder farmers for long term
sustainability, the goal of the 16-month project
was to draw lessons and experiences that would
be used to scale up IFAD investments nationally
and regionally. The objective of the project was to
scale up the application of tested and proven social
science research outputs developed by IITA in the
target smallholder farming systems to consolidate
gains made during implementation of AMSDP and
MKEPP projects.
Africa Harvest was tasked with the responsibility of
carrying out the implementation through training
and capacity building, linking beneficiaries to
markets through partnerships with the private sector,
improving their capacity to operate as sustainable
marketing groups, as well as sustain the enterprise
development. Among the outputs were capacity
strengthening of farmer organizations, reduced
transaction costs, and an effective and efficient
Market Information System (MIS).
At the start of the project, a rapid appraisal
confirmed that weak farmer groups fail to exploit
their full potential, and limit the success and
impact of well intended development programs. The
appraisal also indicated that the choice of crops or
value-chains is still heavily influenced by the need to
satisfy household food requirements as the primary
objective. It also pointed to the critical need to
improve skills and knowledge among smallholder
farmers, on sustainable approaches to engaging with
commercial value-chains to improve production,
productivity and return on investment.
Participants at the validation workshop help in Meru, Kenya.
Participants at the validation workshop help in Moshi, Tanzania.
Agricultural Markets and Policy Program
43
Communication for
Development and
Knowledge Management
Program
44
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
The Communication Program decided to expand its program to include Knowledge Management after the
realization that the organization was generating huge amounts of knowledge and data, and needed proper
housing and management. The program was redesigned to better capture, distribute, and effectively utilize
this knowledge, data, and information generated.
During the period under review, the program intensified the process of collecting information from different
projects and sharing this internally and externally through meetings, workshops, conferences, websites, and
social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. The program activities are organized around the following
themes:
1. Diverse stakeholder engagement strategy
2. Technology acceptance for deployment
3. Innovative use of ICT
4. Community engagement
5. Publications and use of multimedia tools to reach diverse audiences
6. Documentation and knowledge management
During the period under review, various projects were implemented, among them were:
•
The Africa Biotech Outreach Project funded by CLI and implemented in Ghana, Burkina Faso, and
Kenya
•
Internal communications: Regular online newsletters, the Africa Harvest 10-year Strategic Plan and the
Africa Harvest Annual Report
•
External communication to support various Africa Harvest projects including, the ABS in Kenya and
Nigeria, and through training material and brochures for the SMU value-chain in Kenya and Tanzania
Africa Harvest, Environment and
Agricultural Institute, Open Forum
on Biotechnology, and Faso Coton
explore improved biotech reporting
with Burkina Faso radio journalists
Biotechnology (OFAB) – and senior radio journalists
from 12 stations in Burkina Faso to explore strategies
for better biotech reporting.
Africa Harvest and the Environment and Agricultural
Institute (INERA) partnered with other biotech
organizations – Faso Coton and the Open Forum on
The meeting deliberated on practical ways of
improving the quality and quantity of biotech
reporting by Burkina radio stations. Discussions
were based on taking action, using recommendations
from a previous study that identified key challenges
related to biotech coverage by radio.
Left: Dr Silas Obukosia makes a presentation during the 2th
Kenyan Biosafety Conference hosted by NBA.
Burkina Faso has over 85 licensed radio stations
serving 14 million people. Although all stations had
Communication for Development and Knowledge Management Program
45
agricultural programs, content rarely focused on
biotechnology. Biotechnology was only covered when
print and TV media reported on anti-GM activism in
the country or elsewhere in the world.
biotechnology to all these groups. To build confidence
and trust in the safety of biotechnology, stakeholders
agreed on the need to track, communicate, assure
and resolve the issues before they go out of control.
As part of CLI’s outreach program, Africa Harvest’s
focus is to address the issue of low levels of knowledge
about biotechnology among radio producers in
Burkina Faso. Africa Harvest’s first line of intervention
is to address the knowledge gap. Simultaneously,
efforts are focused on ensuring suitable radio content
in farmer-preferred local languages.
Africa Harvest and biotech partners
engage government on impact of ban
on genetically modified organisms on
pathway to commercialization
Strategic biosafety issues
management towards the
commercialization of genetically
modified organisms in Kenya
46
During the year under review, the Kenyan Ministry of
Public Health (MOPH) ordered Public Health Officials
to remove all GM foods on the market, and to enforce
a ban on GM imports, fears that were fuelled by a
widely discredited anti-GM study.
During the year under review, Africa Harvest held
several strategic meetings with Kenya’s NBA. The
meetings centered on communication and issues
management and there was consensus on the need
for a coordinated structure for the Kenyan technology
developers and regulatory agencies.
While the ban only addressed food imports, its
effects extended to every aspect of biotechnology.
The KARI, a government institute that spearheads
agricultural research and innovations indicated that
donor funding and investment in agriculture were
likely to decline. The ban also affected the planned
commercialization of Bt cotton due to uncertainty
about the future.
To meet those needs, an inter-institutional platform
will be set up to enable regulators and biotech
stakeholders to discuss strategic matters, as well as
respond to emerging issues. The NBA will develop
a multi-institution, multi-stakeholder strategy with
procedures to follow, in the event that an issue
related to biotech emerges.
A study on public acceptance of GM foods by the
University of Nairobi (UoN), and another by the
NBA over the same period (2010-2013) indicated a
widespread acceptance of GM foods in Kenya (71%
UoN; 73% NBA), indicating a level of confidence in
the government’s ability to regulate and to conduct
risk assessments.
There is consensus on the need to improve public
awareness and harmonize information. To succeed,
technologies depend on the willingness of a wide
range of stakeholders: Funders/ donors, institutional
authorities, civil society, intended beneficiaries/
customers, and affected interest groups. Kenyan
regulators and technology developers need to position
Africa Harvest social media strategy
takes root
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
The Africa Harvest communication team intensified
the use of social media platforms such as Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube and blogs to engage mass audiences
in transforming the face of agriculture.
Building media capacity in Ghana: Africa Harvest Director of Communication, Daniel Kamanga and the Biosafety
and Regulatory Director, Dr Silas Obukosia made a courtesy call on the Ghana Minister of Environment, Science,
Technology and Innovation, Dr Sylvester Aneman. Top, L to R: Mr Kamanga, Mrs Linda Agyei of the Ghana
Journalist Association (GJA), the Minister, Mrs Audrey Dekalu of GJA and Dr Obukosia. The two were part of
a team involved in training Ghanaian journalists on biotech reporting. Mr Kamanga, a former journalist (below)
thanked the GJA for partnering with Africa Harvest to empower journalists.
Communication for Development and Knowledge Management Program
47
Although older farmers in the rural areas do not use
the Internet, the youth (especially in Kenya) are
embracing agriculture. A combination of SMS and
social media is therefore ideal in building relationships
and interacting with farmers, journalists and
organizations involved in agriculture. For example,
during the implementation of the Affordable Biodigesters for Improved Health Project, Africa Harvest
received numerous online and SMS requests for
advice from farmers.
Africa Harvest has continued using social media
reporting and our audience has been expanding in the
last few years. Now more people are better informed
and involved in policy and strategic discussions that
are impacting their life. At the beginning of the year
our goal was to increase followers on all social media.
On both Twitter and Facebook our “followers” and
“likes” almost doubled while our messages reached
over 800,000 “new” users who do not follow us.
Responses from youth under 30 on policies, access to
planting material, and enquiries on good agronomic
practices and tips has also increased tremendously.
Africa Harvest’s experience in knowledge management
and experience sharing is now helping us to design
stronger social media strategies, procedures, and
plans to boost our global communication outreach
and also to structure better communications
activities at all levels with our regional, national and
local audiences.
Our social media accounts can be found at:
www.twitter.com/AHBFI
www.facebook.com/AfricaHarvestIntl
www.facebook.com/AHBFI. www.youtube.com/user/AfricaHarvest
www.flickr.com/photos/africaharvest
48
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
Africa Harvest 2012 Annual Report
online distribution, new website and
@ahbfi Twitter account
Case study: Online distribution of Annual Report
A decision was made to reduce printed copies by at
least 50%, and intensify online distribution of the
2012 Annual Report. This was based on the growing
interest for the PDF version available on our website
over the last few years. The strategy was to tap new
audiences globally; the tool of choice was Twitter,
using the @ahbfi handle.
The Twitter account already had about 300 users
and all that was needed was a way to monitor and
measure the interaction on the information we tweet
about. We set up a Tweetdeck account to monitor
the activity and interaction in the tweets that are
sent out.
Aware that most users online are now on mobile
devices and cannot access digital magazines or PDF
files, we converted the Annual Report to a form that
could be accessed on such devices. We converted
the annual report to HTML format www.ar2012.
africaharvest.org. This allowed us to refer to specific
topics in the six different programs of the Annual
Report to engage different audiences with very
different interests. The website was published and on
the same day we started sending out tweets about
the Annual Report.
In the following weeks we saw an increase in new
people and organizations showing interest in the
work Africa Harvest is involved in. To date, nearly
1,000 people who had never visited the Africa
Harvest website visited the Annual Report pages
over 2,000 times. The Annual Report has received
over 1,500 unique page visits, lasting an average of
between 30 seconds – 30 minutes which means that
people are taking time to read the content. Social
media has allowed us to reach audiences that we
wouldn’t normally reach using our print versions.
Today the @ahbfi Twitter account has over 1,450
users and the community interested in Africa Harvest
affairs continues to grow. The followers on Twitter
are very interactive; we get retweets and comments
on the content we are posting on a daily basis.
Of the six Africa Harvest programs, the Food,
Nutritional Security, and Sustainable Livelihoods
Program received the most visits and drew the most
attention on Twitter. Followers interested in food
security increased exponentially; this group has
“favorited”, reweeted and mentioned Africa Harvest
in the discussions, which has increased followership
on the Africa Harvest Twitter account.
During the year under review, we sent between three
and five newsletters monthly, covering various topics.
Over 43 newsletters have been sent to the various
regional databases of individuals and stakeholders of
Africa Harvest.
Communication for Development and Knowledge Management Program
49
Communication activities 2013
Africa Harvest
facilitated the
formation of
the Kenya
University
Biotech Forum
(KUBF);
Dr Silas
Obukosia
(right) with
representatives
from public
and private
universities.
Consultative
Meeting –
CEO's of
Regulatory
Agencies for
Enhanced
Coordination on
Biosafety Kenya
18 June 2013.
50
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
Africa Harvest communication Director Mr Daniel Kamanga (left) makes a presentation at the CropLife Plant Biotech Strategy
Council (PBSC) meeting, and Africa Harvest Communication Officer Ms Rosalind Wambui at the World Food Price (WFD) in
Des Moines, USA, with a friend. She was part of the African media practitioners at the event.
Africa Harvest
hosted a
commutative
meeting of CEOs of
regulatory agencies
in Kenya. The goal
is to enhance better
coordination and
alignment.
Communication for Development and Knowledge Management Program
51
Finance, Administration and
New Business Development
Program
52
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
Maintaining the confidence
of development partners and
stakeholders in a difficult economic
environment
Africa Harvest has committed itself to implementing
development programs that positively impact rural
communities by increasing food productivity, incomes
and nutrition levels. This requires continuous
improvement of the efficiency and effectiveness of
our programs. The Board has continued to provide
leadership in program focus, structuring, identifying
synergies and unlocking greater value for target
beneficiaries. With regard to financial management,
emphasis on five core areas has helped maintain and
strengthen the confidence of our partners:
Performance-focused financial management
system
The effective management and control of finances
is at the heart of the success of our programs. The
design and firm implementation of a good financial
management system is therefore critical not only for
continued donors’ support but also for long-term
sustainability of our programs. An efficient and
effective system of public resources management
is also increasingly being seen as an element of
international competitiveness and comparative
attractiveness as an institution to investment in.
Strengthening reporting and accountability
Accountability starts with a transparent budgetary
process. Africa Harvest ensures that all budgets –
accompanying proposals to potential funders – have
sufficient detail to allow for an effective monitoring
and evaluation process. Project staff members
are involved in the budget design as well as in the
implementation and monitoring of expenditure.
The Board has a Finance Committee that provides
detailed financial inputs to the management. Apart
from internal project audits and regular (often
quarterly) reports to donors, at the end of the year,
an institution-wide audit is undertaken by Deloitte &
Touche. An Annual Report and Accounts is published
as part of the compliance requirements in Kenya,
South Africa, and the USA. This report is also made
available to stakeholders and the general public.
Establishment of an effective financial control
environment
The Africa Harvest Management Team headed
by the CEO and a team of Program Directors is
responsible for establishing the systems that will
ensure compliance with policies, plans, procedures,
and applicable laws and regulations. The “control
environment” depends significantly on the attention
and direction provided by the CEO, Directors and
Senior Managers. The Finance Director is responsible
for the effective design and operation of internal
accounting controls in the organization to ensure:
(i) the safeguarding of money and property against
loss; (ii) avoidance of or detecting accounting errors,
and (iii) avoiding unfavorable audit reports. To achieve
confidence, there is need for reasonable assurance
that the management control system is operating
effectively. This is enforced and monitored through
regular random internal checks to ensure that all the
required controls are carried out and remain effective.
Equipping program, finance, and accounting
staff with skills to perform their roles
Under the leadership of the Finance Director, the
staff members involved in finance and accounting are
trained to be responsive to the needs of the different
Finance, Administration and New Business Development
53
donors. Africa Harvest ensures that all program,
finance and accounting staff are aware of their
responsibilities as specified in the project proposals,
as well as the institution’s Finance Policy Manual.
Strict adherence is enforced and regular internal
capacity building is undertaken to meet Africa
Harvest and donor requirements.
Monitoring and evaluation
Africa Harvest has adopted an integrated approach
in which the budget is linked to delivery of specific
outcomes that the Foundation is seeking to
achieve in every project that it implements. Every
Program Director commits to project monitoring
and evaluation to enable the Foundation to gauge
progress against objectives and targets agreed with
funders. Performance indicators are set out and this
is followed by systematic monitoring, which includes
regular field data collection and regular management
reports. All Directors furnish the CEO with
regular reports on project progress against agreed
performance indicators and measures. The scope and
frequency of evaluations depends primarily on an
assessment of risks and the effectiveness of ongoing
monitoring procedures.
54
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
Biographies of Board of Directors
Dr Moctar Toure is a Senegalese national and serves
as the Chair of the Board. He is a
soil scientist who turned into an
institutional development expert
from experience. He obtained
his Diplomed’IngenieurAgronome
from the Ecole Nationale Superieure
d’Agronomie de Rennes (France)
in 1970 and his Doctorate from
the University of Rennes (France)
in 1973. He spent the first 15
years working for the Senegalese NARS, where
he rose to the position of Director General of the
Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA).
He served for 4 years as the National Director for
all Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Research in the
Ministry of Sciences and Technology. He then moved
to the World Bank and for about 18 years, served in
various capacities including Executive Secretary for
the Special Program for African Agricultural Research
(SPAAR). Two years prior to retirement, he moved
to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to lead the
Land Degradation Team. Currently, he is a member
of many advisory committees and is involved in
consulting tasks.
Mr Joseph Gilbert Kibe is the Chairman of the
Kenya Horticulture Development Authority. In the past, he
has served as a civil servant in
Kenya and as Permanent Secretary in various government
ministries. He holds a Bachelor
of Arts degree from Makerere
University College of the University of London. He has rich
experience in policy formulation and implementation,
HR management and budgeting and accounting for
financial and physical resources. He is currently
involved in agricultural developments as an investor,
with particular interest in international horticultural
trade. His special interest in financial investment and
corporate governance has led to his current involvement as Director in over 10 private sector companies
and not-for-profit foundations and trusts.
Dr Florence Muringi Wambugu is the founder,
Director and Chief Executive
Officer of Africa Harvest
Biotech since 2002. She is
a plant pathologist with
specialization in virology and
genetic engineering. She has
a Ph.D. from the University
of Bath in England, and has
had post-doctoral research
experience at Monsanto, USA. For over 30 years,
she has dedicated her life to agricultural research,
where she made significant contributions to the
improvement of sorghum, maize, pyrethrum, banana
and sweet potato. Previously, she worked as the Africa
Regional Director of the International Service for the
Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA)
AfriCenter in Nairobi, and as a Research Scientist
at KARI. She has published over 100 articles and
co-authored various papers. She is also the author
and publisher of Modifying Africa. In 2005, she
led an international consortium that was awarded
US$ 21 million under the global competitive grant
by the BMGF. She is a recipient of several awards
and honors, including the Norwegian YARA Prize
in 2008. She is currently a Board Member in several
international agencies.
Finance, Administration and New Business Development
55
Professor Shabd S Acharya is the Chair of the
Program Committee of the Board.
He is Honorary Professor at the
Institute of Development Studies,
Jaipur (India). He is Chief Editor of
the Indian Journal of Agricultural
Marketing; Chairman of the
Editorial Board of Agricultural
Economics Research Review;
Chairman of the Consortium
Advisory Committee for India’s
National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP);
Project on Risk Assessment and Insurance Products
for Agriculture; and Chancellor’s Nominee on the
Board of Selection of the Rajasthan Agricultural
University. He serves as a consultant to numerous
international organizations. Prof Acharya has
numerous distinctions. He has written extensively
on agricultural economics, agricultural marketing,
prices, agricultural development and policy analysis.
His publications include 17 books, 44 chapters in
other books, 409 research papers/articles, and 73
research monographs/reports.
Ms Prudence Ndlovu is the Chair of the Nominations and Governance Committee
of the Board. As Managing Director of Eagle People Organizational
Development (EPOD) Global (Pty)
Ltd., Ms Ndlovu has spent the last
six years at the helm of this entrepreneurial venture, offering human
capital solutions. She has over 15
years’ experience as a Human Resources specialist in
large corporations, advising on full function human
resource strategy and management. She holds a
postgraduate degree in Business Studies, specializing
in HR management and a training management qualification. Her corporate experience spans blue chip
56
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
companies including J Sainsbury’s Plc, Pick ‘n Pay,
and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ms Ndlovu is the Vice
Chairperson of Gauteng of the Business Women’s
Association of South Africa, providing enterprise
development support and capacity building programs
for women entrepreneurs.
Professor
Dr
Matin Qaim is Professor of
International Food Economics
and Rural Development at
the University of Goettingen,
Germany. He has a Ph.D. in
Agricultural and Development
Economics from the University
of Bonn and has held academic
positions at the Universities of
Hohenheim (Stuttgart), Kiel,
and Berkeley (California). He has extensive research
experience related to poverty, food security, and
productivity growth in the small farm sector. He
has implemented and coordinated research projects
in various countries of Africa, Asia and Latin
America, including on the socioeconomic impacts of
agricultural biotechnology and GM crops. Dr Qaim
has published widely in scientific journals and books,
and has been awarded academic prizes.
Dr Blessed Okole is the Chair of the Audit
Committee of the Board. He
is the Senior General Manager
for Infrastructure and Planning
in the Technology Innovation
Agency, South Africa. He holds
a Ph.D. from the Technical
University of Berlin, Germany.
He was the CEO of LIFElab,
the Biotechnology Innovation
Center in Durban, and has 18 years’ international
experience in the Research and Development sector
of the biotechnology industry. Prior to joining LIFElab,
he held the position of Business Development
Manager and Strategic Partnership Manager for the
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
Biosciences unit. He was also the interim Director
for the NEPAD Southern African Network for
Biosciences (SANBio) and the Technology Manager,
Plant Biotechnology at AECI, a specialty product and
services Group of companies. He has several peerreviewed publications and holds three patents.
Dr Arthur J Carty is the Executive Director
of the Waterloo Institute for
Nanotechnology, at the University
of Waterloo. From 2004 to 2008,
he served as Canada’s first National
Science Advisor to the Prime
Minister and the Government of
Canada. He was President of the
National Research Council (NRC)
of Canada for 10 years (1994–2004). Dr Carty has
a PhD in inorganic chemistry from the University
of Nottingham. Before joining the NRC in 1994, he
spent two years at the Memorial University and 27
years at the University of Waterloo as Professor of
Chemistry, Chair of the Chemistry Department and
Dean of Research. Dr Carty’s research interests are in
organometallic chemistry and new materials. He has
311 publications in peer reviewed journals and five
patents to his credit. He is a former President of the
Canadian Society for Chemistry, a fellow of the Fields
Institute for Research in the Mathematical Sciences
and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He has
14 honorary degrees and has received Canada’s
highest civilian award as an Officer of the Order of
Canada (OC) and been honoured by France as Officier
de l’Ordre National du Mérite. He has served on many
Boards of Directors and Advisory Boards.
Dr Grace Malindi, recently retired as the Director
of
Agricultural
Extension
Services at the Ministry of
Agriculture and Food Security
in Malawi after 38 years in
public service. She held various
positions, including that of
Training Officer, Gender-based
Participatory
Development
Specialist, Deputy Director for
Extension Services and Director of Extension Services.
Dr Malindi holds a Ph.D. in Human Resources and
Community Development from the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, and has
extensive experience in agricultural extension, gender
mainstreaming, farmer training and participatory
rural community development. She played a pivotal
role in revolutionizing Malawian agriculture from
a food deficit nation to a vibrant food surplus
nation. Dr Malindi is a member of the Association
for International Agricultural Extension Education
(AFAAS), Association of Women in International
Development (AWID) and the American and
Canadian Home Economics Association. Dr Grace
has received numerous awards and served on various
advisory boards in Malawi.
Finance, Administration and New Business Development
57
Africa Harvest senior management with members of the Board and
below, Africa Harvest Staff in Nairobi head office.
58
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
Summary of financial performance
Expenditure allocation in 2013
The expenditure in 2013 has been grouped into three areas: 1) Program services 86%, 2) General and
administrative expenses 9%, and 3) Sub-grant to partners 5%
Africa Harvest 2013 – List of Donors
Africa Harvest received financial support from ten funders and several individuals. The resources were mainly
restricted donations from the following funders:
1. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
2. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
3. CropLife International (CLI)
4. United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/ Financial Transactions and Reports
Analysis Center FINTRAC – Kenya Horticulture Competitiveness Project (KHCP)
5. Cooperative Housing Foundation (CHF)
6. DuPont Pioneer
7. Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)
8. United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
9. Grand Challenge Canada (GCC)
10. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
11. Individual donors
Finance, Administration and New Business Development
59
Income and expense indicators
Donations
Other income
2013
US$
2012
US$
1814901
3,274
2064369
83,491
1,818,175
2,147,860
Expenditure
Sub-grant payment to partners
84,855
81,514
Program development expenses
733,864
905,595
Communication expenses
32,425
43,297
Program operations expenses
722,227
966,114
Consultancy
127,788
181,603
Board expenses
42,975
46,496
Fundraising expenses
60,000
Depreciation
29,831
37,167
Amortization
1,539
1,755
1,775,504
2,323,541
Net foreign exchange gains / (losses)
Finance costs
25,942
(1)
4,921
(4)
Surplus/ (deficit) for the year
68,612
(170,764)
Other comprehensive income
-
Total comprehensive income (deficit)
60
-
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
68,612
(170,764)
Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International
Annual Financial Report for the year ended December 31, 2013
Balance sheet
Assets
Non-current assets
Vehicles and equipment
Intangible assets
2013
2012
US$
US$
129,852
7,498
167,221
9,037
137,350
176,258
417,803
-
48,048
65,542
163,379
247,152
531,393
410,531
668,743
586,789
269,418
-
200,806
-
269,418
200,806
243,000
156,325
242,596
143,387
399,325
385,983
668,743
586,789
Current assets
Grants receivables
Receivable
Cash and bank balances
Total assets
Funds and liabilities
Accumulated funds and reserves
Accumulated funds
Foreign exchange translation reserve
Current liabilities
Unexpended grants
Payables
Total funds and liabilities
Finance, Administration and New Business Development
61
Acronyms and abbreviations
62
ABS
Africa Biofortified Sorghum
AGRA
Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
AFIM
Africa Facility for Inclusive Markets
AH
Africa Harvest
AHBFI
Africa Harvest Biotechnology Foundation International
AMSDP
Agricultural Marketing Systems Development Program
ASAL
Arid and Semi Arid Lands
AusAid
Australian Agency for International Development
CFT
Confined Field Trial
CLI
CropLife International
CHF
Cooperative Housing Foundation
DRC
Democratic Republic of Congo
EAML
East African Maltings Limited
EU
European Union
FINTRAC
Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Center
GCC
Grand Challenge Canada
GJA
Ghana Journalist Association
GM
Genetically Modified
IAR
Institute of Agricultural Research of Nigeria
ICRISAT
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics
IFAD
International Fund for Agricultural Development
IITA
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
Africa Harvest Annual Report 2013
INERA
Environment and Agricultural Institute
KARI
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute
KEPHIS
Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service
KHCP
Kenya Horticulture Competitiveness Project
MDG
Millennium Development Goal
MIS
Market Information System
MKEPP
Mount Kenya East Pilot Project
MOPH
Ministry of Public Health
NABDA
National Biotechnology Development Agency of Nigeria
NBA
National Biosafety Authority
NGO
Non-Governmental Organization
OFAB
Open Forum on Biotechnology
PMI
Phosphomannose Isomerase
SADC
Southern African Development Corporation
SHPM
Smallholder Production and Marketing Groups
SMU
Sorghum for Multiple Use
SP
Strategic Plan
SSA
Sub-Saharan Africa
TC
Tissue Culture
UNDP
United Nations Development Program
UoN
University of Nairobi
USAID
United States Agency for International Development
Acronyms and abbreviations
63
Sorghum threshing using a locally made thresher in Imenti North District. Sorghum for
Multiple Use (SMU) is a partnership project, between Africa Harvest and the International
Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics (ICRISAT), and is funded by the
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the funding source is the
European Union (EU)..
Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International (AHBFI)
P.O. Box 642
Village Market 00621
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-444-1113/5/6
Fax: 254-20-444-1121
PO Box 3655
Pinegowrie 2123
Gauteng, South Africa
Tel: + 27 11 079 4189
www.africaharvest.org
1025 Connecticut Avenue NW
Suite 1012
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 1-202-828-1215
Fax: 1-202-857-9799
Scotia Plaza
40 King Street West, Suite 3100
Toronto, ON, Canada M5H 3Y2
Tel: +1 416-865-6600
Fax: +1 416-865-6636