Organic Marketing in Kenya
Kenyan organic market has been growing remarkably since the introduction of formal organic agriculture in the mid 80’s. Organic food has slowly developed from what has been perceived as traditional/indigenous to modern contemporary healthy lifestyle. There has been a big push to shift from conventional and fast foods to more local, indigenous and organic foods. As a conservative estimate, the organic markets are growing by between 15- 20% most of growth being experienced in the vegetable market sector. This shift of consumption to healthy foods has been pushed by widespread cultivation of vegetables along polluted rivers with a risk of heavy metal contamination. There has also been mushrooming of herbal clinics all over the country which have a common message; eat local, traditional organic foods. 

The value of organic market in the country is estimated to have reached Kes. 10 million worth in annual turnover. Organic foods are now getting their way in the supermarkets where they are distinctively placed in a section like in Nakumatt supermarkets or mixed up with conventional products. Hotels and restaurants have also shown interest in serving organic menus especially for tourist hotels and lodges. Currently, we have a restaurant dedicated to serve organic food. This restaurant, Bridges Organic Health Restaurant is situated at the heart of Nairobi. Organic consumption is currently concentrated to the upper-middle income population with more consumption and awareness recorded among expatriates and higher educated population (consumer survey on attitudes and preferences towards organic foods in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, 2006). Most shopping malls in the upmarket have seen development of healthy shops most of which are selling imported health supplements. This trend will continue to facilitate faster development of organic markets in Kenya.

History of Organic Marketing in Kenya
Development of organic markets in Kenya can be traced back in 1998/1999 when Kenya Institute of Organic Farming (KIOF) and Association for Better Land Husbandry (ABLH) started organic marketing initiatives. In 1998 KIOF started a basket scheme and had an agreement with one of green grocers in up-market Nairobi to be distributing the baskets on its behalf. The basket scheme failed due to logistical problems. This basket scheme has lately been revived and is doing quite well. Through a company named Farmers Own, ABLH started marketing of organic produce from smallholder farmers. The organization also initiated ecological labeling. This initiative has not been able to take root and has not achieved formal organic certification orientation. Corner shop, a green grocer situated at upmarket Yaya centre started an organic corner in 2000. This organic section has been experiencing supply consistency problems and a limitation of variety. Other initiatives include a Farmers Market in The Village market which was organized monthly by Green Dreams limited, a partnership had been established between Green Dreams Ltd and Fresh N’ Juicy the main supplier of fresh fruits an vegetables in Nakumatt supermarket. This relationship however failed. Su Kahumbu of green dreams limited had started an organic corner under fresh n’ juicy in one of Nakumatt stores (Village market). The initiative failed due to lack of supplies. Currently the organic market has grown Tremediously. The most notable players in the organic market are; Food Network East Africa, Kalimoni Greens, Bridges Organic Health Restaurant and Masai Eco Farms.

KOAN, offering organic market services to the rural smallholder organic farmers, from the farm gate to the market.

From a movement into an Industry
Currently, the number of trained farmers on organic farming has reached a conservative estimate of 30,000 with more and more request of training coming from all over the country. Many NGO’s and CBO’s have been initiated to train farmers on organic agriculture as a sustainable way of farming which encourage the use of resources within the farm. There has been a push from KOAN for a paradigm shift for organic agriculture to move from having a kitchen gardening and food security approach to one that is market orientated.
On its formation and being handed the mandate of spearheading the development of organic agriculture in the country, one of KOAN’s major role was to facilitate the development of organic market in the country. Through its National Market Development desk KOAN undertakes market development activities with an aim of building the consumer base of organic products. These activities include:

Capacity building on production for the market.
This employs an approach of introducing commercial production for a smallholder organic farmer. In the past, organic agriculture training had been focusing on food security and sustainability at household level. This approach although successful in food security has led to very little presence of organic products in the shelves of mainstream markets. The markets which have been opening organic sections have suffered due to inconsistency of supply of organic products and lack of variety of such products. KOAN’s response has been to build capacity of producers so that they can develop organic business enterprises that meet the exacting demand of the market place nationally and regionally.

Aspects such as farm planning, record keeping and logistics are emphasized to enlighten the farm on how to turn his farm from a sustainable approach to a profitable organic enterprise. The knowledge also assists the farmer to select enterprises according to the competitive advantage of the locality he/she lives in. As most agricultural businesses are family owned and run, the training focuses on encouraging participation of women in the training. In normal agriculture extension set up, it is mainly men who participate in training whereas the actual field work is done by women. This is in-line with the organizations gender mainstreaming policy.

Organic Farmers Market: have you attended a KOAN organic farmers market?

KOAN has been organizing farmers market at the Nairobi arboretum every 4 months to grace environmental awareness activities. In 2007, a stand alone organic farmers market was organized in December at City Park. KOAN has partnered with Rosslyn River garden centre to be holding monthly organic farmers markets most of which are falling in the last saturday of every month for the whole year. The range of produce available includes fruits, vegetables, processed food products, pulses, herbal products, art products and recycled products.

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