• Reference: P-KE-AAZ-002
• Approval date: 05/09/2007
• Start date: 20/05/2008
• Appraisal Date: 07/05/2007
• Status: OngoingOnGo
• Implementing Agency: MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE
• Location: NINE DISTRICTS

The project has 3 components:

(A) Irrigation Development Component: including rehabilitation of existing and new smallholder irrigation schemes with a total area of 2 ,886 ha benefiting 5,812 HH;

(B) Farmer Support Programme: with 2 sub-component (Horticultural Production and Marketing Sub-component and Financial Services Support Sub-component) which will promote: formation of 90 women IGA groups to carry out agro-processing activities and more than 45 women's groups to participate in poultry rearing activities; construction of 9 storage/grading sheds and 9 market sheds; strengthening the farmers' capacity in production and marketing of horticultural crops and link them to financial institutions;

(C) Project Coordination: will provide resources for coordination and management of project activities

The immediate objective is to improve the irrigation infrastructures, conduct and performance of horticultural marketing systems in the project area to provide financial incentives for realising the following:

-for smallholder to increase and diversify horticulture production; -to increase the number of medium-scale entrepreneurs who interact with groups of smallscale producers and traders in the rural areas; This will ensure more effective participation by limited-resource rural households in an improved horticultural marketing system, thereby increasing their incomes.

Horticulture Development: The horticulture sub-sector encompasses the production of vegetables, fruits and cut flowers. The smallholder producers constitute about 60% of all horticulture producers and produce about 55% of the exports. The potential for increased production of horticultural crops by the smallholder farmers exist. However, ecologically suitable land is unavailable, as 80% of the country is arid and semi arid land (ASAL). The remaining 20% land is under cultivation, forests, buildings and roads. Considering that good land is scarce, there is need to invest in horticulture under irrigation system with medium level technology. Furthermore, since most of the horticulture crops have high value, they provide suitable alternative as income generating enterprises for the rural population where poverty is predominant.

The proposed Small-scale Horticulture Project will direct its efforts towards using small scale irrigation facilities, improved soil fertility management practices, and watershed management to produce and market high value crops. This will be complemented with improved agricultural marketing. This is aimed at improving the incomes of farmers directly involved and indirectly promoting income enhancement principles and practices amongst small farmers in Kenya especially in rural areas. In addition, the Project will conserve and protect the environment through strengthening watershed management using well established structures at national, district, and village/community levels. It will address deforestation and problems of natural resources degradation. This will lead to the long-term improvement to the environment and sustainability of the income enhancement interventions. Training and improvement in institutional capacity, monitoring of effects and outcomes will sustain project outputs. Community-based approach implementation will be required to instil the ownership of activities by involved communities that are a prerequisite to long term sustainability of project activities.

The choice of the districts namely Kajiado, Narok, Nakuru, Baringo, Marakwet, and Keiyo is based on ecological considerations, potential for horticulture development under irrigation, market availability and poverty reduction. It is envisaged that the proposed intervention would increase horticulture productivity, increase rural income, and raise the living standard of the rural community.

The project benefits smallholder farmers and consumers of Kenya. The direct benefits are to improve the livelihood of 5812 HH farmers, out of which 1740 will be female HH. In the final analysis more than 200,000 HH directly or indirectly benefit from the project.Financial institutions, marketing cooperative societies and district experts will benefit from the training provided by the project.

MEND Alex Fred - OSAN1

Finance source	Amount
ADF	UAC 17,000,000
Total	UAC 17,000,000