world Bank is intended to finance smallholder farmers in Kiambu County in Kenya. The credit funds are expected to finance smallholder farmers across nine value chains to improve value addition and access to markets, including those engaged in dairy, poultry, fruit (banana, mango and avocado), vegetables (tomato and potato), coffee, cotton, cashew nuts, beekeeping and pyrethrum.

In a World Bank press release, the financing approved by the International Development Association (IDA) is designed to support a new National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP) build on the foundations established by two existing World Bank-funded projects.

The two projects include the National Inclusive Agricultural and Rural Growth Project (NARIGP) and the Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP) and will primarily focus on a subset of farmers from these two projects.

Keith Hansen, World Bank Country Director for Kenya, said the project will open up new opportunities to maximize financial and private sector investments in the nine value chains through a range of value chain investments and other enabling initiatives such as improving subsidies targeting e-vouchers and operationalizing warehouse receipt financing.

Investments

“We will engage intensely with private sector value chain actors to attract investment in agribusiness opportunities such as input supply, access to finance for farmers and small and medium enterprises, digital extension services, on-farm infrastructure development and maintenance, storage and cold chains, insurance schemes and retail,” Hansen added.

He said the project will further deepen investments in existing interventions around productivity enhancement, community-led agricultural extension, water management and data-driven value chain services. , as well as introduce intensified investments in selected value chains.

It will also strengthen value addition and business linkages with agribusiness buyers and small and medium enterprises, support Farmer-Led Irrigation Development (FLID), improve access to credit and support the deployment of urban food systems pilot projects in selected clusters.

According to Vinay Vutukuru, Senior Agricultural Economist and Task Team Leader, Implementation of Digital Agriculture Initiatives, Farmer-Led Irrigation Development Initiative and Safer Urban Food Systems Initiative are innovative and will inform future World Bank initiatives in these areas.

“Under the urban food system pilot project, climate-smart agricultural technologies will be promoted and developed for urban and peri-urban farmers and market linkages between rural producers and urban consumers will be strengthened,” he said. added.

The project, whose selection of value chains and counties was guided by a multidimensional criterion, will also benefit other value chain actors at different levels such as extension agents, aggregators, support providers logistics and SMEs operating within the value chain.

Besides Kiambu, other beneficiaries include Kilifi, Taita Taveta, Kwale, Tana River, Kakamega, Busia, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Nakuru, Narok, Bomet, Kericho, Nyandarua, Trans-Nzoia, Nandi, Uasin Gishu, Machakos, Makueni , Kitui, Meru, Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Embu and Nyeri.