The joint project of Visegrad Four (V4) countries in Kenya

The joint project of the V4 countries is being implemented in Kenya with the SlovakAid's support

The joint project of the V4 countries “Enhancement of Livelihoods in the Kenyan Coastal Region by Supporting Organic and Fair trade Certification of Smallholders (EUTF05-HoA-KE-18/04)” is being implemented in the coastal counties of Kilifi, Kwale and Lamu. The project amount represents 1.9 mil. EUR. The four-year project (2017 - 2021) is funded by The European Union Emergency Trust Fund for stability and addressing root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa (EUTF for Africa).

SAIDC's role

SAIDC is the grant manager and main coordinator of the joint project, as well as is partially implementing some of the project activities. The Visegrad Four (V4) partners are actively participating in the joint implementation, namely Czech University of Life Sciences (CULS), National Agricultural Research and Innovation Centre (NAIK/NARIC), Hungary and Foundation Science for Development (FSD), Poland. The main implenenting partner is Integra Foundation, Slovak NGO and the founder of Ten Senses Africa - one of local implementing partners. Another local implementing partner is Farm Africa.

Overall Project Objective

The main objective of the project is to contribute to the development of coastal counties by enhancing access to better market opportunities and increasing food security for 16,000 smallholder farmers through Organic and Fair Trade cashew nut and sesame production.

Project activities

The main project activities include BIO/Organic and Fair Trade certification (including trainings), establishment of cashew nut nurseries, farmers’ trainings in good agricultural practices, as well as distribution of seedlings to farmers, group dynamics, conflict management and basic financial literacy.

Interim Project Results

Three cashew nut nurseries established in Kilifi, Kwale a Lamu
almost 1 000 000 seedlings distributed to farmers
16 010 farmers recruited to the project of which 54,98% are males and 45,02% are females
As of 2019, the project´s cashew nut production is Fair Trade certified (World Fair Trade Organisation) and BIO/Organic Certified (ECOCERT)

Cashew nut and sesame processing factory is being constructed in Kilifi as the follow-up activity with the aim to ensure the long-term sustainability of the project action. New economic opportunities will arise for the farmers by improving processing efficiency and introducing new products which will provide them with access to the international markets. A positive side effect of planting cashew nut trees is the reduction of carbon footprint which helps to mitigate the negative climate change impacts on our planet.