Started 1998 as an exporter to international buyers

1. ON THE OCCASSION OF THE VISIT OF MINISTER FOR TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION MS. LILIANNE PLOUMEN TO HILLSIDE ON 28TH OCTOBER, 2013 • Your honour, the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Madam Lilianne Ploumen • Your honour, the Ambassador, of the kingdom of the Netherlands to Kenya, Mr. Joost R. • Your honor, first secretary economic dev and food security, Dr Melle Leenstra, • Your honour, the Regional Director, Solidaridadad Eastern & Central Africa Expertise Centre. Mr. Karugu Macharia • The program Manager, Hort. Solidaridaridad East and C Africa Expertise Mr. Hosea Machuki • The Head SNV • Government and embassy officials present, all protocols observed, its my deepest pleasure and privilege to welcome you to Hillside Green this afternoon. We are truly honored and deeply touched that amongst the minister’s choicest of visits, big and small Hillside was selected to be visited. We do take high regard of this and feel very blessed.

2. HILLSIDE HISTORY • Started 1998 as an exporter to international buyers • Aim was to offer smallholder farmers access to market of exotic vegetables • Hillside employs 25 permanent • Contracts 80- 150 part time on shifts basis • Majority are single mothers from Africa largest slum – Kibera • Pre project partnership we are parking 2 tones a week to dubai, had 3 groups • Had been banned from exporting to Europe Farmer training on traceability Offloading at packhouse Grading/packing farmer produce

3. PROJECT OBJECTIVE Partner/support small scale producers to earn incomes through exportable horticulture • HOW IT WORKS • Spur grassroots energy • Synergy/partnership with farmers • Centralizing services model-leading to economies of scale • Group becomes a marketing unit • Central collection unit • Central Training centre Farmer grading shade Joint construction of chemical store by farmers • Chemical issuance, storage, unit • Governance unit – disciplinary rules • HCDA collection of sample data unit • Information dissemination unit • Certification – global gap • Farm gate Initial point of grading • First hand point of storage & problem identification • Channeling of payments through joint account • Credit facilities unit ,Farmers Sacco- credits, loans • Traceability unit batching, lot identification

4. PROJECT DELIVERABLES- OUTPUT • 250 farmers in the scheme 30% women, 20% youth 50% Men • Earnings by farmers -regular incomes farmers have earned • 10,000 - 30,000 each over past 4 weeks (depends on farmers • Empowering women and youth through job creation (pickers) • Supporting 750 family ,dependants of the 8 farmers schemes • Increased export from 3 tone to 7 weekly • Created 8 technical jobs in 3 months • Created jobs for single mums from kibera daily kibarua. Farmers harvesting beans Chemicals properly stored Packed products

5. CHALLENGES EXTRA ORDINARY cahllenges reuire extradorngary and creative solutions • Side selling- need for trust, prompt payment, partnership • Use of un approved chemicals/exceedances – construct and stock pesticides • Post harvest looses- use of charcoal coolers • Traceability- use of treatability real time software – farm to fork • Standards /quality- centralized global gap certification model • Adverse hot weather- dams, drip irrigation to mitigate hostile weather • Excess rains- use of tunnels • Elasticity of markets – requiring strategic all year round buyer/supermarket (B2B) • Myriad of farmers needs (food, school fees, medical needs etc) - encourage SACCOculture • Professionalizing agribusiness - expose framers to trainings/network, BDS, seminars, forums –Agri-focus, SNV • CONCLUSION • Solidaridad has empowered Hillside to export to Europe after being slummed with ban • Enabler in contracting the 250 farmers - targeting global consumer • Delivered on traceable quality produce – all produce global standards indenftified • Interventions are bearing fruits, from 3 tonnes to 7 tonnes a week of export • 250 Farmers earning average of (15,000 usd) or 1,330,000/= million a month • Attacking poverty and food insecurity in rural areas through horticulture exports • Job creation for single mothers from Kibera, increased in shifts (earning(usd 35) 3000 a week increase of 33% from pre-project figure of 1000 per week • Hillside is energized and ready to upscale partnership with your Dutch government as transformational vessel of horticulture small-holder farmers

6. After training/empowerment Approved Storage in crates Unethical storage at collection centre • POTENTIAL FOR SCALING UP • Capability to scale up farmers from 250 to 500 to 1000 • Potential to increase production from 5 to 8 tones to 15 wk • Prospects to increase current buyers from 6 to 10 • B2B partnership with supermarket offering annual price • The best is yet to happened. • THANKYOU AND GOD BLESS THE PARTNERSHIP Growing for local market