In Kenya, Muranga County is the largest avocado producing region, accounting for 32% of all avocados produced in the country. This produce is exported to markets in Europe and China, sold in local retail markets, or, in some cases, sold to local processing companies. Post-harvest losses are a major issue when it comes to avocado farming in the region. Fortunately, the innovative company, SokoFresh, has a solution: solar refrigeration units that can be leased to store produce. Not only are these innovations scalable and replicable, the company uses a three-pronged approach that provides farmers with support that includes market linkages, solar cold storage as a service, and produce processing as a service.
Benefitting from solar power solutions through innovative leasings
Agnes Nyokabi and Jane Wainaina are two avocado farmers in Muranga District who have both benefited from SokoFresh’s cold storage solutions. Agnes has 32 mature avocado trees and Jane has 20. When their avocados are ripe and ready to be picked, they contact SokoFresh, which sends agents to pick and transport them to a nearby cold storage facility. The innovator then finds a buyer for the produce, aggregates the avocados to the required quantity, and makes the delivery. SokoFresh usually pays a pre-determined price of KES 50 ($0.40) per kilogram within the same day of picking up the fruit from the farm, providing Agnes and Jane with a consistent and predictable cash flow to supplement their income.
This is a significant improvement on brokers, who were viewed as not trustworthy as they would ask farmers to harvest their produce and then not show up to collect it, resulting in significant post-harvest losses. They would also exploit farmers by buying produce at fluctuating farm-gate prices, often below market prices, or by not paying at all.
Agnes says that with the money she earned from selling avocados, she was able to buy a cow and use its milk to supplement her family’s diet. She also uses some of the money to pay for her daughter’s university fees. With the proceeds of next season’s harvest, she plans on completing a fence for her farm, which will help prevent the current increase in avocado thefts that has been affecting her farm. She already bought the fencing material and is halfway through fencing her land with the proceeds from last season’s avocado sales.
Empowering and impacting the lives of women avocado farmers and beyond
About 10 years ago, Jane’s husband – the family’s breadwinner – passed away. Now Jane lives with five of her children. In addition to the small amount of money she earns from raising cattle and selling vegetables, Jane says that her partnership with SokoFresh to grow avocados has been essential in providing her with a reliable source of income. She is able to meet the daily needs of her household, educate her children, and pay for their school fees, among other things. After feeling moved to teach her fellow women avocado farmers about SokoFresh’s business model, Jane became an agent for the company. She has trained more than 100 farmers so far, teaching them about cold storage, crop preservation, and how to earn a steady income.
Learn more about SokoFresh’s business and watch their video:
Contact
For more information about supported innovators, please have a look at the East Africa Hub Subpage or contact lucie.pluschke@giz.de (Regional Innovation Hub Manger) or kilian.blumenthal@giz.de (Technical Advisor).
